LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Bette Stoltz posthumously upon the occa-
sion of her designation for special recognition by the North Flatbush
Avenue Business Improvement District on June 16, 2016

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those individ-
uals who would devote themselves to the welfare of the community and its
citizenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Bette Stoltz posthumously upon the occasion of her designation for
special recognition by the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement
District, to be celebrated at its 30th Year Anniversary Annual Meeting,
on Thursday, June 16, 2016, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York; and
WHEREAS, This year, the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement
District will honor the memory of Bette Stoltz, a longtime neighborhood
leader who played a key role in Smith Street's resurgence as a commer-
cial corridor; she died on November 19, 2015, at the age of 74; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, Bette Stoltz served as Executive Director
of the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation, and pushed for the
revitalization of Smith Street championing "The Little Street That
Could"; she was also founder of the Transit Garden at Smith Street and
Second Place and organized events such as Smith Street's Sunday Funday
street fair, local Bastille Day celebrations and a soup crawl; and
WHEREAS, Bette Stoltz was a champion for manufacturing and industrial
space; she knew that space was needed for industrial businesses in Red
Hook and Gowanus, and she fought hard against efforts to undermine it;
and
WHEREAS, Single-handedly preventing the residential conversion of 160
Imlay Street to condos, Bette Stoltz helped launch the fight to preserve
manufacturing in South Brooklyn and around the City of New York; and
WHEREAS, Bette Stoltz was a hardworking advocate for small businesses;
for several decades, she helped small businesses on Smith and Court
Streets to stay strong in the face of disinvestment, chain stores,
street reconstructions, and gentrification, and for several years, she
helped organize the effort to create a Business Improvement District on
Smith and Court Streets; and
WHEREAS, A true public servant, Bette Stoltz helped people find work;
she was instrumental in establishing a partnership to connect public
housing and other low-income residents with job opportunities which led
to the creation of Red Hook on the Road, a program helping people get
good-paying jobs as commercial drivers, Brooklyn Networks, an in-network
cable installation, and First Source Staffing, a not-for-profit staffing
agency which focuses on placing people with barriers to employment; and
WHEREAS, Over the past decade, under the leadership of Aaron Shiffman
at Brooklyn Workforce Innovations, each of Bette Stoltz's championed
programs have helped over 5,000 low-income community residents find good
jobs; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Bette Stoltz has been committed to assisting
low-income kids; for 25 years, she helped youngsters from NYCHA's Red
Hook, Gowanus and Wyckoff Houses by leveraging her connections in the
business community to help kids get internships, and to support those
kids and help them succeed; and
WHEREAS, Bette Stoltz's proudest accomplishment was the creation of
the Culinary Arts Program at the High School for International Studies,
a program which has helped hundreds of kids get excited about school,

discover talents they did not know they had, build real-world skills and
find valuable internships and jobs; and
WHEREAS, The North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)
was formed over 35 years ago by a group of committed citizens who joined
forces to improve the area known as North Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn,
New York; the group was comprised of merchants, property owners and
residents who were concerned about keeping Flatbush Avenue a vibrant
commercial district; and
WHEREAS, Through the years, the members of the Board of Directors have
struggled to create a cohesive identity for the North Flatbush Avenue
BID that would be responsive to the changing demographic without losing
long-time businesses, and to create an atmosphere that is rich with
"Brooklyn" spirit; and
WHEREAS, The North Flatbush Avenue BID's dedicated and professional
staff are led by President, Regina Cahill, and a Board of Directors
comprised of community residents, merchants, and business leaders who
are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for all members of the
North Flatbush community; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that those who
enhance the well-being and vitality of their community and have shown
long and sustained commitment to excellence certainly have earned the
recognition and applause of all the citizens of this great Empire State;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Bette Stoltz posthumously upon the occasion of her designation for
special recognition by the North Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement
District on June 16, 2016; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Bette Stoltz.