Marty Markowitz | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Markowitz in 2007 | |
| 17thBorough President ofBrooklyn | |
| In office January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Howard Golden |
| Succeeded by | Eric Adams |
| Member of theNew York State Senate | |
| In office January 1, 1979 – December 31, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Jeremiah B. Bloom |
| Succeeded by | Carl Andrews |
| Constituency | 19th district(1979–1982) 21st district(1983–1992) 20th district(1993–2001) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1945-02-14)February 14, 1945 (age 81) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jamie Snow |
| Education | Brooklyn College (BA) |
Martin Markowitz (born February 14, 1945) is an American politician who served as theborough president ofBrooklyn,New York City. He was first elected in 2001 after serving 23 years as aNew York State Senator. His third and final term ended in December 2013.
Martin Markowitz was born on February 14, 1945 inCrown Heights, Brooklyn to aJewish family.[1] His father, Robert, was a waiter at George & Sid's, akosherdelicatessen, but died when Marty was nine years old; his mother, Dorothy, moved the family topublic housing inSheepshead Bay.[2] Markowitz graduated fromWingate High School in Brooklyn'sProspect Lefferts Gardens section in 1962.[3]
He tooknight classes atBrooklyn College for nine years,[2] and received hisbachelor's degree inpolitical science in 1970.[3]
Markowitz began hispublic service career in 1971, at the age of 26, by forming the Flatbush Tenants Council in the Brooklyn neighborhood ofFlatbush.[4] The organization grew into Brooklyn Housing & Family Services, which is the largest tenants advocacy organization operating in New York State today.[3]
He was a member of theNew York State Senate from 1979 to 2001, sitting in the183rd,184th,185th,186th,187th,188th,189th,190th,191st,192nd,193rd and194th New York State Legislatures. He was known for creating a series of oceanfront concerts and other festivals rather than drafting legislation. At one such concert, in 1990, soul legendCurtis Mayfield was left paralyzed from the neck down after a lighting fixture that had been knocked loose by wind fell on him, crushing several of his vertebrae. Markowitz had insisted on continuing the show, despite the hurricane-force winds buffeting the stage.[5]
Markowitz first ran for borough president in 1985, but failed to unseat the incumbentHoward Golden. Markowitz subsequently pleaded guilty to amisdemeanor for failing to disclose acampaign contribution; he was fined and performed community service.[when?][2]
He was elected to the borough presidency in 2001 as theDemocratic candidate, and was re-elected on November 8, 2005, with 79% of the vote, compared to 13% forRepublican challengerTheodore Alatsas, and 7% forGreen Party candidateGloria Mattera.
As borough presidents have little real power within city government, Markowitz used the office to be an aggressive advocate for Brooklyn, promoting mainstreamtourism and events. In the2005 New York City mayoral election, he also endorsedRepublican incumbentMichael Bloomberg, as did many other Democrats includingEd Koch.
During theBlackout of 2003, he stood on theBrooklyn Bridge as throngs of fellow Brooklynites trudged home from work inManhattan, holding a megaphone and cheering "Welcome home to Brooklyn!" to thunderous applause. He repeated this during the2005 New York City transit strike, inviting Brooklynites intoBorough Hall for warm drinks and a chance to call loved ones. He frequently spoke atpublic schools in Brooklyn on occasions such as performances and graduations.
Markowitz continued promotingaffordable housing, as he had in the Senate. Through capital funding and use of the borough president'sUniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) authority, thousands of affordable housing units have been created, includinginclusionary zoning in Greenpoint/Willamsburg and theHabitat for Humanity project in Ocean Hill/Brownsville. He agitated to saveStarrett City, the nation's largest federally-subsidized housing complex, and keep it "affordable forever".[3] His efforts to expand Brooklyn's economy include gentrifyingConey Island; rezoningGreenpoint,Williamsburg, anddowntown Brooklyn; cleaning upNewtown Creek; encouraging development of theBrooklyn Cruise Terminal; and attracting regional corporate headquarters, large manufacturers and retailers,startups and green businesses.
As a longtime advocate for seniors, Markowitz campaigned to keep Brooklyn senior centers open when they were threatened with closures due to budget cuts.[3] His efforts to save Brooklyn's financially troubled medical institutions resulted in the preservation of maternity and pediatric units atLong Island College Hospital as well as the critical services provided by school medical clinics. He also called for increased parental and community engagement in schools and has supported policies that improve graduation rates and prepare Brooklyn students to compete and succeed in the global economy. His office was instrumental in creating two new schools in Brooklyn: the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media[where?] and the Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance on Stuyvesant Avenue.
He founded and hosts the Seaside Summer Concert Series (begun in 1979), New York City's largest free weekly concert series, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert Series (started in 1983), the nation's largest free public concerts for African American and Caribbean audiences. He has supported Brooklyn's cultural community, including the BAM Cultural District and Issue Project Room, and worked to restore theLoew's Kings Theatre in Flatbush. He hosted annual heritage events at Borough Hall celebrating Brooklyn's diversity, including celebrations of the Turkish, Asian, Latino, African-American, Jewish, Caribbean, Italian, Greek, Russian, Polish, Lebanese and LGBT communities. Markowitz has worked to establish Brooklyn's first-ever LGBT Center for Brooklyn. TheBrooklyn Community Pride Center board has been formed to determine a location and gather support for the project.[3]
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As borough president, he founded initiatives to promote and improve the quality of life in Brooklyn, including Shop Brooklyn; the Lighten Up Brooklyn and Take Your Man to the Doctor campaigns; Camp Brooklyn; the jobs-for-youth Summer HEAT program; Dine in Brooklynrestaurant week; theBrooklyn Book Festival; the smART Brooklyn Gallery Hop; and a tourism organization called Brooklyn Tourism.[3] Former Brooklyn female district leaderRenee Collymore[6] worked for him as anexecutive assistant.
Markowitz has been a supporter of the controversialAtlantic Yards complex (renamedPacific Park since 2014). The arena, now known as theBarclays Center, houses theNBA'sBrooklyn Nets and served as a temporary home for theNHL'sNew York Islanders before they moved toUBS Arena in 2021. His desire to bring an NBA team to Brooklyn had been known since his campaign for borough president, and he was instrumental in persuadingBruce Ratner to purchase the Nets in 2004. Initially uninterested, Ratner said that Markowitz "called every two to three weeks.... I am sure I said to my assistant, 'Oh, my God, it's Marty.'"[2]
In 2002 Markowitz appointedDolly Williams to theNew York City Planning Commission. Two years later, it was revealed that Williams, who is co-founder of a Brooklyn construction company, had invested a million dollars inBruce Ratner's purchase of theNew Jersey Nets. Williams announced that she would recuse herself from any decisions about the Atlantic Yards project, and she is the only Brooklyn appointee to the Planning Commission.[7][8]
In March 2008, Ratner acknowledged that much of the project was stalled – but that construction on the basketball arena would begin before 2009.[9] This angered many citizens, who have suggested that affordable housing should come before a sports complex for the developer's team, and angers still more of them as none of the affordable housing has yet been built as of 2014.
On April 3, 2008, Markowitz and his wife Jamie Snow attended a controversial gala honoringRatner at theBrooklyn Museum. The event featured Japanese artistTakashi Murakami and a performance byKanye West. Markowitz delivered an address to attendees, prompting protesters outside to take a break from shouting "shame" in order to chant pejoratives at the borough president.[10] During this same event, Markowitz's wife Jamie took eightlimited editionfiberglass placemats designed byMurakami; this move caused some controversy, since there were only enough produced to provide each guest with one. Markowitz defended his wife, saying the couple would sell them and profits would go to Camp Brooklyn, a program that sends low-income kids to camp. "If they're truly worth a thousand dollars, we will sell them and give every penny," he said. Similar limited edition Murakami placemats have sold for around $1,000 oneBay.[11]
The Barclays Center opened on September 28, 2012, with a concert by Brooklyn-born rapperJay-Z.[12]
In September 2009,NYC Department of Transportation was scheduled to modify the layout of Prospect Park West, installing a two-way protectedbicycle lane. The project was stalled after Markowitz wrote a letter to the city opposing the measure.[13] Thetraffic calming measures were planned in response to documented pedestrian safety issues and had the support of Community Board 6. A DOT study showed that "more than 70% of vehicles were exceeding the 30 mph limit, and at least 15 percent were traveling at 40 mph or faster. From 2005 to 2007, there were 58 reported crashes on Prospect Park West."[14] The conflict came to a head in April 2010 when DOT announced plans to go ahead with the modifications. Markowitz made disparaging remarks about DOT commissionerJanette Sadik-Khan, calling her a "zealot", though he later clarified his statement. Markowitz claimed he supports other bike lanes in the city, but his opposition stems from the elimination of parking spaces and one lane of traffic.[15] The bike lane was completed in June 2010 despite Markowitz's continued opposition. Markowitz lives inWindsor Terrace, on the southern portion of Prospect Park West.[15][16]
Markowitz considered running formayor of New York in the2009 and2013 elections, but ultimately decided not to run.[17][18] He supported independentMichael Bloomberg's reelection in 2009, over Democratic nomineeBill Thompson.[19]
In July 2011, New York City's Conflicts of Interest Board fined Markowitz $20,000, an unusually large penalty, for accepting three trips for his wife, Jamie Snow, that were paid for by the governments ofTurkey and theNetherlands. The Board found that "by accepting travel expenses for his wife for each trip, [Markowitz] used his position as a public servant for private or personal advantage." The Board found that he had been aware of the rule prohibiting his acceptance of the free trips at the time of the trips.[20]
Markowitz and his wife Jamie Snow were married in 1999.[21] They live inWindsor Terrace, on the southern portion of Prospect Park West.[15][16]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link),The New Yorker (April 25, 2005)| New York State Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the19th district 1979–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the21st district 1983–1992 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of theNew York State Senate from the20th district 1993–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Borough President of Brooklyn 2002–2013 | Succeeded by |
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