Tuesday, September 24, 2013

HIKIND ANNOUNCES $6MM FOR OCEAN PARKWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

NEWS FROM
ASSEMBLYMAN DOV HIKIND

September 24, 2013

Contact: Yehudah Meth                                                       For Immediate Release
718-853-9616 (office)
973-945-4903 (cell)

HIKIND ANNOUNCES $6MM FOR
OCEAN PARKWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is proud to announce that $6 million has been allocated by the New York State Legislature for Ocean Parkway Corridor Walking and Bicycling Safety Improvements. The allocations, which were accelerated thanks to efforts made by Assemblyman Hikind and his colleagues in the Assembly and the State Senate, are part of the NY Works program and supplement the existing State Road and Bridge Capital Plan. The monies will go towards state-of-the-art signage and other improvements meant to protect pedestrians and bicyclists along the span of Ocean Parkway.

“These improvements will be truly valuable to our community,” said Assemblyman Hikind. “The dangers on Ocean Parkway have long been expressed by residents. There are pedestrians walking where bicyclists are supposed to be and vice-versa. Confusion on a busy highway means high risk to everyone. I often walked my mother along or across Ocean Parkway. There’s children, elderly, and everyone in-between trying to get to where they have to go in the safest possible way. Proper demarcations, count-down signals for alerting pedestrians and bicyclists, and good, visible signs will go a long way towards protecting the safety of our many residents.”



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Ken Thompson: About Last Night… And Tomorrow

My phone hasn’t stopped ringing today. People want to congratulate me on last night’s victory in the Brooklyn District Attorney primary election. But it wasn’t my victory. It was yours. And it was Ken Thompson’s.

I don’t take my endorsements lightly. I’m not interested in being a so-called “power broker.” That’s someone elses obsession. I am only interested in doing the right thing. When it came to the Brooklyn  DA’s race, the right thing for Brooklyn and my constituents was supporting Ken.
From the moment I met Ken, I liked him. We spoke about the issues and about who he was, and I said to myself, “This is a good man. Regardless of what happens in this election, I believe he’s the best man for the job.”

I must be honest: I believe that people who supported Charles Hynes in my community did so out of fear. That’s not the right way to do things. The correct approach is to stand up for what we believe in—and for the people we believe in—regardless of the consequences. That’s why I was the first elected official to take a stance on sexual abuse within our community, long before it was acceptable to even acknowledge the problem. To many, it still isn’t. People wanted my head. But that didn’t matter—right is right.

I knew that standing up for Ken Thompson wouldn’t be the most popular stance. An incumbent had not lost a DA race in our borough in over 100 years. Standing up for Ken had nothing to do with showing how many votes I could swing. It wasn’t about me or my ego. It was about our community.

Everyone agrees that Ken is a smart guy, a good man. I saw that every time we spoke, every time we discussed the issues and the imbalance of justice we’d seen here on too many occasions. And as I stood with Ken last night at his victory party, I saw something else, too. I already knew that his credentials were impeccable, but last night I watched how Ken thoughtfully treated his wife. I watched the tremendous respect that Ken showed toward his mother. These small things just added to the picture that I already had of our next DA: Ken Thompson is a mensch.

For those who have been fooled by rhetoric, I tell you your fears are in vain. Ken will be fair to the members of the Jewish community as Ken will be fair to the members of every community. I look forward to working with a District Attorney where we have an open door.

My job last night wasn’t to deliver an overwhelming majority of our community. The odds were too strong and the misinformation and rhetoric too great. My job was to help Ken get enough of our community to make a difference, and to do so by informing you of the facts. I’m proud of the stance I took. And I’m proud of those of you who like AMI Magazine took the bold and honest position of supporting Ken.

But it wasn’t my victory. It was yours. And it was Ken Thompson’s.


Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Receiving Blessings From the Leaders of Satmar


I was delighted to sit down this evening with Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum and Rebbe Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, the esteemed leaders of Satmar. After receiving a delightful and warm reception, we sat down to discuss the many accomplishments that we’ve seen together, including TAP, transportation, and other important accomplishments impacting our families and yeshivos. I was honored to receive their blessings, including the blessing to continue bringing as much good as possible to our community for many years to come.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Rabbi Moshe Dovid Neiderman for arranging my meeting with Rebbe Zalman Leib, and to thank Rabbi Aaron Weltz and Rabbi Isaac Sofer for arranging my meeting with Rebbe Aaron.

Wishing everyone in our community a Kesiva va’chasima tovah!