Leslie Ellis Lewis

Leslie Lewis, who was born and raised in the Bronx went off to fight in World War II when he was just 18 years old. Eventually relocating to Scarsdale, Mr. Lewis raised two sons, Robert and Mark, before moving to Brooklyn in 1982. There, he settled into a home on Wyckoff Street – between the Gowanus Housing Projects and the Wyckoff Housing Projects. Shortly thereafter, he joined the precinct community council.

Mr. Lewis worked for 30 years in the exhibition business, eventually becoming president of the Greyhound Exposition Company. In his trade show capacity, and always maintaining concern for minority areas, he developed the “Job Power” concept as a way to bring employers to unemployed urban minorities. This concept was recognized by then-President Nixon, and is known as the modern day job fair.

These experiences led Mr. Lewis to begin work as a liaison between people and their elected officials. Upon moving to Brooklyn in 1982, he developed a relationship with the District Attorney’s office in an effort to improve community relations. In his capacity as police liaison, as well as Council President of the 84th Precinct, Mr. Lewis serves as a switchboard between Borough President Adams, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, the police and his 2.5 million constituents.

Mr. Lewis gathers complaints from the public and then communicates them to the police, making sure that something gets done about them. Crime has seen a dramatic decrease in the 84th Precinct, going down more than 90% since 1990, according to NYPD statistics. Due to the efforts of community leaders like Mr. Lewis, Brooklyn neighborhoods have a high quality of life, are more walkable and real estate is more valuable.

For all of his work, Mr. Lewis was recognized with a Congressional Commendation from Congressman Ed Towns in February 2012. The efforts of community leaders like Mr. Lewis make Brooklyn neighborhoods a safe place to live, and we are thankful for his service.