Well, folks – The Bay Ridge 5th avenue festival is once again upon us!

The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) is threatening to exercise eminent domain over three Bay Ridge businesses across the street from P.S. 104 on 5th avenue between 92nd and 91st streets.

SCA, which is scouting locations for construction of a new school, are conducting preliminary soil tests amid harsh opposition from one of the three 5th avenue businesses threatened – according to the Brooklyn Eagle.

Margaret Turnbull of Windows We Are — which just last month played host to a small-business roundtable discussion with Presidential nominee, John McCain — has vowed to fight any inspection of their store.

SCA has said any such objection to the inspection would be considered illegal under the SCA’s eminent domain authority.

Among those businesses being targeted by the SCA is the former home to Frances Bakery – which was recently acquired by the owner of the tire shop up the block which will now serve as the new home to the local law offices of George P. Georgaklis.

State Senator Marty Golden will hold a rally to save Key Food supermarket, this Saturday, 11am – in front of the supermarket at 9408 3rd avenue.

Golden’s office, which has previously said…

“Our role is very limited, but we’re trying to intercede if the property hasn’t been sold… If it has been sold, then it’s a commercial business replacing a commercial business on a commercial strip — there really isn’t anything that we can do about it.”

… has since changed their tune from one less optimistic on petitions, to practically bullish on action – calling Key Food’s departure – a ‘crisis.’

“The closing of the Key Food is just the most recent example of how supermarkets are leaving this neighborhood and being replaced by stores we do not have a great need for in this community… We must come together and show that this community is suffering, and that this problem is very real. It’s time we send a message to supermarket corporations that this neighborhood should not be forgotten… We need a supermarket in this community, to replace the Key Food that will soon close, and not a Walgreen’s Pharmacy. This will be our chance to have our message heard.“

Senator Golden’s rally to save Key Food will come less than 3 weeks before its doors close, permanently.

As it would turn out, Flag Lady (Lady Knievel) is still very much with us – seen here in the last few seconds of this photo montage of the 2008 Kings County Memorial Day Parade.

In April 2003, at a support the troops rally in John Paul Jones Park, a boisterous woman paraded around the grounds shouting “liberalism has to go… humanism has to go,” working the crowd while toting a large garrison flag. Her appearance briefly captured, but forever immortalized by a BCAT television production – ‘Drinkers and Thinkers.’

5 years later, where has the flag lady gone?

from Drinkers and Thinkers#15, otherwise known as: “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Bay Ridge”

Bay Ridge city councilman Vincent Gentile is the latest Democrat, in an already crowded and uncertain field of congressional hopefuls, to announce his bid for Fossella’s 13th district seat this fall.
According to today’s Daily News, Gentile says he’s running, in part, because he “doesn’t believe the ‘myth’ that a candidate from outside Staten Island can’t win.”

Gentile’s bid creates an interesting set of circumstances within the Brooklyn Democratic party.

Not only is Gentile pitting himself against longtime friend and political ally, Steve Harrison, but should his bid be successful, Gentile forces a special election for his council seat, opening the floodgates to Brooklyn Democratic hopefuls for the real election in ‘09.

Those Democratic contenders are likely to include: longtime democratic rival Joan Seminara, and former Gentile staffer George Fontas.

Brooklyn Republicans believed gearing up to announce their bids are: Chairman of the Kings County Republican Party, Craig Eaton; Fossella Brooklyn staffer, Bob Capano; and State Senator Marty Golden’s press secretary, John Quaglione.

Now that Vito Fossella formally withdrew his re-election bid for the 13th congressional district – more interesting than who’s likely to be the next contender, is who won’t be.

Speculation is swirling, in and around the Brooklyn Democratic party, that Domenic Recchia will not seek the 13 district seat this fall after all.

For months, rumor has run rampant that Recchia (who does not live in the 13th district) was being used by state GOP operatives to spoil, or severely weaken, Steve Harrison’s bid for the seat by threatening a protracted and costly primary battle.

Meanwhile, watchdogs eye campaign contributions to Recchia’s war-chest from such firms as Greenberg Traurig LLP PAC, a well established outfit linked to convicted former Republican super-lobbyist, Jack Abrimoff.

Harrison, who came within 14 points of Fossella just 2 years ago (the closest any Brooklyn democrat has come in almost 35 years) also picked up the endorsement of the Staten Island Democratic Association by a 42–6 on Feb. 19; and was seen as the most formidable opponent to Fossella in ‘08.

Less than a week after Fossella walks away from his re-election bid, those inside the local and state democratic party find the timing of Recchia’s pullback more than a coincidence; especially since he’s sitting on over 300K in campaign money, and just received a split confidence vote last week — 25/25 — from Brooklyn Democrats for Change, here in Bay Ridge.

Recchia, elected to the NYC Council in 2001, represents the 43rd council district which includes: Coney Island, Gravesend, Sea Gate sections of Brooklyn.

Had Recchia decided to run for the 13th congressional seat, he would’ve needed to take up residency inside the Bay Ridge/Staten Island district.

Republican Dan Donovan, Staten Island D.A. for Richmond County, who so far seems to be the favorite of the state GOP leadership, despite talk, will likely not run for the 13th district seat, either.

GOP insiders believe that Donovan, who won a decided victory for the Richmond County DA office with over 68% of the vote less than 6 months ago, is not likely to throw that away to run for a new office.

Developer Andrew Kohen’s mixed-use project that would have yielded a Home Depot, and roughly 200 units of additional housing on 8th avenue between 65th and 64th streets, is apparently in limbo – a casualty of the nationwide housing and credit crisis.
Kohen’s project, approved last year by Community Board 10, came under heavy fire from local activists, calling it irresponsible; and who in language all too familiar to present day developer woes, at times, shouted down the developer as a liar and profiteer.

MSK Properties tells the Brooklyn Eagle, the project is on indefinite hold until an upswing in housing, as Kohen maintains an optimistic wait-and-see, what goes down ‘must eventually come back up,’ attiude.

The site itself has been orphaned by several other long-since forgotten projects that have included at least one supermarket proposal – Kohen’s project has gone the farthest however.

The Home Depot project has long been considered a direct assault to many of the independently owned and operated building supply companies that line 8th avenue all the way down to sunset park throughout the 50’s and 60’s who traditionally supply local builders and contractors in the Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst area.

Conversely, with KeyFood’s closure all but a forgone conclusion — at least according to State Senator Marty Golden who said that commercial property’s sale and transfer to ownership of a developer for the purposes of another commercial property is legal no matter how many signatures on a petition — many are left to wonder why acquiring a supermarket for the greater Bay Ridge area with parking is such a chore, especially when demand for a food supplier is so abundant. Whereas Bay Ridge/Sunset Park are saturated with supply houses?

Whether or not Kohens option on the land results in the mega building supply store remains to be seen; Bloomberg media cites a bleak forecast for the nationwide chain, with plans to close 15 stores nationwide in the coming year.

Effective Monday morning: “calling 911 or BRAVO… will result in transport to another area hospital’s emergency room,” reports the Brooklyn Eagle.

According to Bill Guarnello, Victory’s Emergency Room will be converted into an acute urgent walk-in care center servicing Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst.

The urgent ‘treat and release’ center will have hours of 7am – 11pm, with the possibility to operate 24 hours sometime in the future.

Victory, slated for closure for over a year by the NYSDOH’s Berger Commission, was at the center of a legal battle by local politicians arguing an unacceptable stress on other hospitals’ emergency room services should Victory’s ER close its doors.

The hospital has been operating nearly tens of millions in debt, the result of fiscal impropriety by the previous board of directors following what many say was millions in 9/11 related money squandered.

In less than a week, Congressman Vito Fossella has gone from being a crippled political ship – to an overnight political anti-hero.

Fossella, who was spurned by his GOP leadership after a DUI arrest revealed his double life with an Alexandria, Virgina, mistress with whom he fathered a 3-year-old daughter – was greeted with roars of cheers and applause at a Staten Island Conservative Party gala just last night.

Fossella reportedly walked into the room, worked the tables at the Staten Island banquet hall for roughly 20 minutes, then left – reports the New York Post.

One Democrat reportedly saying: ‘this guy’s got balls.‘

This all comes on the heels of Vito publicly denying speculation he would resign – despite calls from his hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance.

The only two potential Democratic primary rivals for the 13th district seat were Bay Ridge attorney Steven Harrison, and NYC Councilman Domenic Recchia – until now.

With Democrats seeing blood for the first time since Fossella’s series of scandalous confessions, local and national Democrats see an opportunity to take the only remaining republican district in NYC since 1975, and will likely be running everyone, including your grandmother, in a primary election for this fall’s contest.

A recent endorsement vote by Brooklyn Democrats for change was 25-25 Harrison/Recchia, many party members still aren’t confident Harrision has enough money (or enough Italian in him) to win the seat for democrats this fall; even tho Harrison gave democrats one of the closest challenges to the district seat in ‘06 when he came within 14 points of the Republican incumbent.

more from:
Daily News
SI Advance
NY13Blog
Room Eight

Friday, May 16th:

The second annual St. Anselm’s Outdoor Parish Festival kicks off tonight, and runs through Sunday; the event features rides, food, games and other vendors.

Tickets are available at the gate.

location: St. Anselm’s parking lot, enter 82nd street (between 3rd and 4th)

Saturday, May 17th:

The second annual Viking Fest, the precursor to one of Bay Ridge’s oldest running parade’s, will take place at Owl’s Head Park this Saturday, May 17th from 12-5pm.

Sunday, May 18th:

17th of May Committee’s Norwegian Day Parade - honoring Norwegian Independence and what was once one of the largest Scandinavian communities on the east coast right here in Bay Ridge – kicks off Sunday, 1:30pm on 5th avenue and 89, and heads north to 67th street’s Lief Ericson Park.

more from: Forgotten New York, ‘Norse Code‘
Brooklyn Eagle: Swedish Weekend