Election 2009: No Big Surprises in Brooklyn
You’ve probably seen them by now, but just in case (and just in case you feel like discussing), we’ve post the results of all the Brooklyn City Council races yesterday on the jump. In some of the races most relevant to Brownstoner-land, Tish James, Brad Lander, Al Vann, Charles Barron, Sara Gonzalez, Vincent Gentile and…
You’ve probably seen them by now, but just in case (and just in case you feel like discussing), we’ve post the results of all the Brooklyn City Council races yesterday on the jump. In some of the races most relevant to Brownstoner-land, Tish James, Brad Lander, Al Vann, Charles Barron, Sara Gonzalez, Vincent Gentile and Mathieu Eugene all emerged victorious.
2009 NYC General Election Returns [NY1]
Photo by Susan NYC
District 33: Steven Levin (91%)
District 34: Diane Reyna (60%)
District 35: Letitia James (92%)
District 36: Al Vann (64%)
District 37: Erik Dilan (86%)
District 38: Sara Gonzalez (82%)
District 39: Brad Lander (70%)
District 40: Mathieu Eugene (94%)
District 41: Darlene Mealy (96%)
District 42: Charles Barron (93%)
District 43: Vincent Gentile (60%)
District 44: Simcha Felder (uncontested)
District 45: Jumaane Williams (77%)
District 46: Lewis Fidler (79%)
District 47: Domenic Recchia (88%)
District 48: Michael Nelson (90%)
I agree with Miss Muffett. A vote for Thompson was a repudiation of bloomberg’s policy of welfare for the rich bankers and screwing the middle class.
On the subject of spiffy new firehouses:
– http://flavorwire.com/47828/hot-hot-heat-nycs-government-approved-architecture
or
– http://bk.ly/VQ
Someone’s got to boot this clown Markowitz out. Do we have any decent, experienced people with vision out there who can challenge him? I mean his 9-1 political machine bulldozer win now means even a greener light for him to invite more friends (or more than just friends) like Ratner to make Brooklyn both uglier and more expensive. And he’s got the phone number to get The Billionaire’s rubber stamp on the documents to boot. Every photo I see of those two they are practically making out. I’d love to see this cat’s tax returns and see how much he’s augmented his public servant salary (and see if this extra income is connected to moonlighting with bigwigs).
MM – I’m sorry but unfortunately your nephew doesn’t represent the ‘average’/bulk of the NYC public school system (wish he did) – we can certainly aspire to have all children at that level, and we can try to dedicate some resources to allowing such children to flourish, but for a system like NYC Education to be even remotely successful in any meaningful way – you have to ensure that the bulk of the children can graduate, with decent reading, writing, math and civic skills and the ability to express themselves in a coherent way. Sadly huge populations of children leave school without this basic education; and that is what I believe Bloomberg and Klien have BEGUN to properly address (and against which the criticism of teaching to the test is meaningless IMHO)
fsrg, thanks for the complement, but I have to disagree that “real learning” has to wait until high school, or college, or even for the better public schools. All of that is too late. If kids are introduced to higher concepts early, they can carry them into the upper grades and beyond. It’s like learning a second language when you are young, the brain just processes it, and moves on, no biggie. Even the worst, failing bilingual kids can do something most of us can’t – function in two separate languages.
My nephew is bilingual. He’s 3. He has already figured out who can speak only English, and who speaks his second language, or both, and he addresses us accordingly, without mistakes. It’s amazing. Kids are smarter than we give them credit for, and can learn complex things, if given the chance. If they are stifled intellectually and imaginatively, then we suffer the results. It should be possible to teach the basic 3 r’s, while not turning them off to the learning process. I know that’s much easier on paper than in reality, but we’ve got to try in our schools.
I also agree that parents are the biggest educators, and kudos to you and CHL.
fsrg…I’m so glad someone feels the same as i do when it comes to educating our children.
benson- the nubile nurses won’t be coming. However we have notified your wife and she is on her way (fair warning- she is carrying a baseball bat and a tube of hair waxing stuff. The better to see where all those burns are [see yesterday’s OT for details]) 🙂
CHL – so true – I would consider MYSELF a failure if my kids went to school (kindergarten) without being able to more-or-less read, understand numbers and basic mathematical concepts like adding and subtracting and other basic knowledge that is necessary for survival in our world.
I then consider it my obligation to tutor them to “think” in the manner that MM so eloquently described as “real learning” – frankly when it comes to my childrens education – I look at schools as an assistant to me not the other way around.
As bxgrl said, firemen are insurance. May seem like a waste of money until you need them, then you’re bitching that there weren’t enough, didn’t have the right equipment, couldn’t get there fast enough…..
Besides fighting fires, the fire department conducts inspections; more than ever, now that the DOB is so non-effective, they have emergency medical training, more so than the average Joe, or the cops. They are called to chemical emergencies, and have terrorist response training. Fire houses are safe houses for latchkey kids, and anyone in trouble, and they do a lot of charity work for the homeless. I think they need more minorities and women, but I greatly admire them and their service. I’d rather have too many, than not enough.
If Bloomberg can foresee the future, and promise that we will not be attacked again, there will be no chemical warfare or accidents, and only a minimum of buildings will catch fire, then he has my blessing to trim FDNY. Since he can’t do that, then leave ’em alone.