- Stringer 2013 -

By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BAY RIDGE — Crossing the East River, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, a potential mayoral candidate, made a pitch here for “a better, more efficient city” that will make its citizens partners in city government.

“We Democrats need a conversation about the kind of city we need in the post-Bloomberg era,” said Stringer, borough president since 2006 and an assemblyman for 13 years before that.

He spoke at a fundraiser on Tuesday evening at the invitation of local activist Andrew Gounardes at the home of his parents, Dr. Steven and Dianne Gounardes.

It was Stringer’s second visit to Bay Ridge in five days, after a stopover Thursday evening at the Brooklyn Democrats for Change’s annual fundraiser buffet. NYC Comptroller John Liu, another likely mayoral candidate, was honored there.

“We live in an exciting time and place, with one million more people in the city by 2030,” Stringer noted. He blasted Mayor Bloomberg, charging him for not communicating with people, ignoring the input of parents involved in their schools, and being unable to get more state help for the city, such as a revenue-sharing plan.

“He comes to Bay Ridge after the big snowstorm, [and] goes to Kettle Black for soup rather than helping people shovel, and thinks everything is fine,” said Stringer of Bloomberg’s visit to the area the day after the Dec. 26 blizzard.

He contrasted Bloomberg’s management style with the active role of then-Gov. Hugh Carey, a Bay Ridge native, who contacted top labor union leaders, real estate interests and elected officials.

“He talked with them across the table. You can’t imagine the current mayor doing that now,” said Stringer. “We need to build coalitions and alliances like Carey did back in the 1970s.”

“The community must have a say!” he declared. He emphasized his community-based successes, such as mediating the controversy around Columbia University’s expansion. He cited his work to create independent selection panels to screen community board candidates in Manhattan, and how Bloomberg later adapted some of his reforms for the entire city.

“On Day One” in City Hall, Stringer said, “we need to bring back the commuter tax.” Hundreds of millions of dollars, he charged, were lost last year without it, and wants commuters from suburbs working in the city to help generate city revenue.

“The city’s future will not be Manhattan-based, but all-borough-based,” said Stringer in response to a question by Gounardes, a former aide to Councilman Vincent Gentile and currently the external affairs director for Citizens Committee for NYC. Stringer told his audience that he saw Gounardes playing a bigger role in politics and government in the future.

Other political leaders at the gathering included President Justin Brannon and Corresponding Secretary Scott Klein of the Bay Ridge Democrats; 60th Assembly District Co-Leader Joanne Seminara; Dilia Schack of Shorefront Democrats, and former gubernatorial aide Tobias Russo.

All said they were curious about Stringer and were open to his ideas. Some people also foresaw likely mayoral runs by Brooklyn-Queens Congressman Anthony Weiner and Council Speaker Christine Quinn. Gounardes said house parties would be used to meet other potential candidates. As of now, the only declared mayoral candidates are former city comptroller William Thompson, who lost to Bloomberg in 2009; and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, who is building his campaign funding.