Best Victory Over Bigotry
Same Sex Marriage Passes, Despite Marty Golden’s Efforts
Brooklyn’s only Republican state senator didn’t just oppose marriage equality—he positioned himself at the front of the opposition, giving fiery, rambling speeches to supporters about the dangers it would pose to our children and religions. Well, nyah nyah, he lost, as bigotry always will (in the annals of history, too!).
Best Turnaround on Same Sex
Marriage
Carl Kruger
When the Democratic state senator was indicted in March on federal bribery charges, a curious detail emerged: Kruger’s “girlfriend,” the district manager of a southern Brooklyn community board, turned out to actually be his boyfriend‘s mother. Thus outed, Kruger voted for marriage equality—a flip flop from his position in 2009.
Best Explanation of Census Undercount
Hipsters Too Cool for Census
When NYC’s 2010 census results indicated so much less growth than anyone expected, public figures scrambled to explain the undercount. But it was councilmember Diana Reyna, who represents part of Williamsburg, who cracked the case: it was the hipsters, who didn’t participate because the census isn’t “cool.”
Best Way to Keep Up with Local Political Machinations
@BKPolitics
Local journalist and political junkie Colin Campbell’s Twitter feed is the best way to stay up to date with who’s running for what, with the support of whom, and which already-elected people are in trouble and for what—not to mention all the other day-to-day wackiness that is the world of Brooklyn politics.
Best Serendipitous Metaphor for
Atlantic Yards Development
Discovery of
Arsenic in Soil
During soil excavation in April, workers discovered several small vials of arsenic. Because Atlantic Yards is literally poisonous.
Most vulnerable incumbent
Edolphus Towns
The fifteen-term Bed-Stuy Congressman has swatted off challenges from The Real World star/professional speaker/tax evader Kevin Powell in the last couple Democratic primaries. But House leadership dropped Towns from his role as the ranking member of the Oversight Committee at the start of this Congress, and after redistricting comes through, a new generation of talented, ambitious African-American pols will be weighing their future prospects—people like City Councilwoman Tish James, and Assembleyman Hakeem Jeffries, who’s already formed an exploratory committee.