On January 10, 2023, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso delivered Brooklyn’s first State of the Borough address in nearly ten years at New York City College of Technology. The Borough President was joined by Brooklyn’s own Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who also gave remarks, Mayor Eric Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, his fellow Borough Presidents, and many other city, state, and federal elected officials.
The event honored Reynoso’s ‘year of firsts’ that included history-making maternal health investments and the launch of Brooklyn’s ‘Planning for Public Health’ comprehensive planning effort, as well as the return and revamping of Brooklyn cultural traditions like the Wingate concert.
Borough President Reynoso also previewed four new initiatives his Administration would be pursuing in 2023: funding for nonprofits to purchase permanent space; a solarization project for low-income tenants; a small business incubator for entrepreneurs in Brownsville; and a community board reform effort.
“In 2022, Borough Hall made history and set a new standard for big, bold action on behalf of the people of Brooklyn. In my second year, I’m not going to stop until we outdo our first,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I’m not here to do a thousand things halfway, I’m here to do the five or six or seven things that will make a real difference in people’s lives. Brooklyn needs major changes, and I’m going to do right by my people. This role isn’t just ceremonial, we’re going to prove what we can do and show Brooklyn the difference a Borough President can make.”
Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced four major steps his administration will take to advance a Brooklyn for all:
Permanent Homes for Nonprofits
The Borough President will allocate a portion of his capital budget toward assisting Brooklyn nonprofits in purchasing permanent spaces, so that they can spend less time negotiating with landlords and more time serving our neighbors. The initiative will create jobs, boost ownership, and ensure the organizations that are lifeboats for our neighborhoods can focus on service delivery and advancing their missions.
Saving Through Solarization
Borough President Reynoso undertook a solarization project to alleviate monthly utility costs for low-income tenants and encourage Brooklyn’s transition to renewable energy. According to a 2019 report by the Mayor’s Office, 32 percent of Brooklyn families in 2017 were “utility burdened,” spending more than 6 percent of their income on utilities – and this was before costs went up about 11 to 12 percent per year in the last 3 years.
Kickstarting Business in Brownsville
The Borough President announced an effort to incubate businesses in Brownsville, create economic opportunity for entrepreneurs, revitalize local retail, and improve the range of amenities in the historic neighborhood.
Community Board Reform
Borough President Reynoso’s vision of a Brooklyn built for and by the people requires that community boards – the grassroots of our local government – are fully funded, fully resourced, and as diverse as the people of this borough. Changes to the City Charter and decades of under-resourcing, however, have made it impossible for Brooklyn’s 18 community boards to deliver on their charter-mandated responsibilities and advocate for the needs of their community district.
As agency head, Borough President Reynoso issued guidance to facilitate community boards’ access to the funding and resources they need to effectively perform their charter-mandated functions. This new guidance will interpret and bring clarity to the 1989 City Charter that failed to properly outline how the responsibility for supporting community boards would be divided between Borough Hall and Mayoral agencies. This effort will formalize channels for community boards to acquire resources, funding, and services, ensuring our City agencies step up for our community boards so they can truly fulfill their role as our most grassroots level of government.