Well-wishers turned out in droves Wednesday evening to pay respects to Bay Ridge’s Henry Grattans, and the affable Barry O’Donovan – whom many consider to be among Bay Ridge’s best community-centric entrepreneurs, and last true civic activist.

Those who know him best say that ‘he was’ Henry Grattans – maintaining that more than money, Barry bet his reputation on every business he developed.

“They don’t make ‘em like Barry anymore… the guy plays it straight.’

While Grattans’ closing lacked the hysterical petition driven remonstrations of another 3^rd avenue favorite, Griswolds.

Some of last evening’s patrons, decidedly somber amid the revelry, did as so many are inclined to do – quietly ruminate over the future of their Bay Ridge.

“People like Barry, for one reason or another, are making a decision to go and make money elsewhere. That’s bad, regardless of what the new owners will do here. When people like him tell you the neighborhood’s changing, foot traffic is down – Bay Ridge needs to start listening.”

On the other hand, those with their ears planted firmly to the ground see Grattans’ demise as something more than the result of shifting demographics. Others familiar with Barry’s longtime contribution to Bay Ridge civic-affairs say that O’Donovan’s exit and Grattans demise after just 5 short years is a symptom of Bay Ridge’s oppressive ‘government by friends’ attitude slowly killing its civic, and commercial landscape.

Those familiar with the 68^th Precinct Community Council circa ’05 – ‘o6 describe a council that best showed their appreciation for Barry’s years of council work and civic participation by ‘showing him the door.’

Most of whom till this day remain cynical in their assessment of the cumulative effect Bay Ridge’s ‘boys-club’ will have on the future of the community.

As one Grattans well-wisher put it last night: ‘the shit rolls down…’

‘You could pretty much say we get the neighborhood we deserve. No more, no less. We walk around totally unaware of how things work, cry in our soup when we see graffiti, fights and all this other shit we love to complain about… so when good men, like Barry, go in there to try and turn things around, where are we to support him? Asleep. These people will throw everything good under the bus if it means protecting their interests and careers. That’s how things are until people start getting involved in Bay Ridge. Until then we’ll continue to treat good people like children, drive away talented people, and run what’s left of this community into the ground. All so guys like Bob Copano can stack the deck with every crony from John Imbriali to Pat Russo, to round out the dog and pony show by making it a permanent part of the Bay Ridge political machine.’

a blogged week:

Right in Bay Ridge:Bids Farewell to Henry Grattans, Bay Ridge’s British invasion, checking in with, Bay Ridge… Maryland that is.
GowanusLounge: the other Amityville Horror, Nightmare on Pacific Street
SunsetParkBlog: String of Pedestrians killed in Sunset Park
LeftinBayRidge: digs local historian’s new book
GothamCityInsider: the lowdown on Henry Grattan, blogging from the grave, eminent domain puts Nets on pace for 2010