LT. GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL COMES TO BROOKLYN!

On Monday, February 22, 2016, I had the distinct pleasure of welcoming NYS Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul to the 25th Senate District! I have enjoyed working with the LG in Albany and other spots in the State, but this was the first time I was able to arrange for a meeting with the people of our District to give her a better idea of who we are, what we do, and what we need from Albany. A big job for a very small window of time! Fortunately I had two wonderful co-hosts: Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Diana Reyna and City Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo.

We met at MoCADA (the Museum of Contemporary African Diaspora Arts, 80 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217) . The current exhibits offer insight into both the history of Brooklyn and the ongoing efforts to build a truly equal and representative society. The Lt. Governor was able to speak with "real" people (i.e., non-government citizens!) She appreciated what they had to say, and she got an earful! We're pretty good at that in Brooklyn.

From Hanson Place we walked to Fulton Street and the irreplacable Moshood Creations (698 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY  11217.)  There we had a discussion with some leading members of the creative community about  local small business and arts issues (for a partial list of participants, please see the caption to the picture at the top.) It's no secret that things have changed in Brooklyn during the last few years, but not everyone appreciates that with world-wide fame comes world-class challenges. A number of topics were raised, including:

•    Financial and technical support for small arts organizations
•    Need for access to the Shirley Chisholm State Office Building
•    Accessible business services for emerging entrepreneurs 
•    Actions to counter some of the impact of gentrification on local small businesses
•    The need for affordable space for non-profits, particularly arts organizations
•    The importance for investments in youth organizations

It was an impressive debut for Lt. Governor Hochul, but I'm sure we're going to see her again soon. She has an eye for quality.