On Monday, January 24 2022 at 7.37 am we jumped on the first ever NYC Ferry on a winter Monday from Brooklyn to Governors Island with new Council Member Lincoln Restler to celebrate this game changer for Brooklyn and the island. We also took the opportunity to talk to Lincoln about his plans and priorities for families in District 33.
The 33rd Council District is comprised of the following neighborhoods: Greenpoint, the Northside, South Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Fulton Ferry Landing, Brooklyn Heights, Willowtown, Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill, and portions of Carroll Gardens and Gowanus.
Highlights from our conversation with Lincoln on how he plans to support local families:
- Resources for all public schools to provide excellent education to all students in the district (i.e. by allocating capital funds to schools for technology, outdoor spaces and other upgrades)
- Focus on integration efforts in public elementary, middle and high schools (i.e. with the opening of a new elementary school in Downtown Brooklyn in District 13 in the fall of 2023, certain admissions priorities for District 13 elementary schools could be discussed and implemented after deep community engagement)
- Fight for more truly affordable housing and generally more 2 to 3 bedroom units (less 1 bedroom units favored by developers) in the district where families can build a live for themselves in the long term
- Major focus on livability in Downtown Brooklyn including the push for more bike lanes, streamlined bus lanes, construction of the long-promised Willoughby Square Park and green spaces as well as grassroot efforts to build a civic organization of residents in Downtown Brooklyn (something like the Brooklyn Heights Association or DUMBO Action Committee)
- Revitalizing Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights, support for the possible attraction of family-friendly businesses including a book store, kids store and butcher
- Planning of a rigorous community engagement process for the redevelopment of the BQE and specifically the cantilever in his District
Lincoln also plans to do monthly resident surveys on specific topics—this month they want to know about your street cleanliness priorities! Please fill out the sanitation survey—it shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes.
“Top three issues across the district for Lincoln:
1. Safety and Transportation – most respondents called out Cyclist + Pedestrian Safety and Criminal Justice and Policing Reform → Cyclist and pedestrian safety is critical, particularly on our main thoroughfares. Our office will prioritize the creation of a network of protected bicycle lanes across the 33rd in partnership with neighboring Council Members. I am also pushing to develop new models for non-police emergency response to supporting struggling New Yorkers in need of social services.
2. Environmental Justice and Open Space- most respondents called out Green Infrastructure and Maintenance of Green Spaces → I will be sponsoring legislation to increase requirements for green infrastructure on private property and support the creation of new park groups to lead constituent community park clean ups, as well as push for increased funding for Parks in the City’s budget.
3. Housing – most respondents called out (Truly) Affordable Housing and Solutions for Homeless NYers → “Affordable” housing needs to be more affordable. I will demand that publicly owned sites in our community be developed into 100% affordable housing. Our office will also push the City to transition commercial hotels into permanent, supportive housing for formerly homeless New Yorkers and fight for other long term solutions to the homelessness crisis.”
A lifelong resident of the 33rd Council District, Lincoln was raised by and has spent his whole life working with the communities that make up the district. Lincoln spent most of his career as a public servant in New York City government where he fought hard to deliver for those New Yorkers who always seem to be overlooked by our elected officials. Most recently he served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Mayor. He formerly served as Executive Director of the New York City Employment and Training Coalition, on Community Board 2, and on the board of the Brooklyn Public Library. And over a decade ago, Lincoln helped form New Kings Democrats, an organization dedicated to bringing transparency, accountability, and integrity to Brooklyn politics.
Understanding what our district needs is integral to how Lincoln works—he wants to tackle the affordability crisis, revitalize small businesses, and deliver solutions to climate change. He is committing to help every school in our district excel. He ran for office because he’s committed to being a problem solver for residents and showing up on every issue, big and small. Him and his 7 staff members will have their primary office at 410 Atlantic near Bond Street. If you need to get in touch with the Council office, reach out to [email protected].
