YEAR
IN REVIEW
2020
Remembering RBG:
Brooklynites came out in
droves to remember the life
and legacy of Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
the Brooklyn-born legal eagle
who grew up in the Midwood
area and died Sept. 18 at the
age of 87. Governor Cuomo
later announced that a statute
to the late justice would
be erected in Brooklyn Bridge
Park, overlooking the Statue
of Liberty. On Sept. 22, Mayor
Bill de Blasio vowed to rename
the Brooklyn Municipal Building
after “the Notorious RBG.”
Industry City withdraws
rezoning application: After a
years-long battle with local offi -
cials and some activist groups,
executives at the sprawling
Sunset Park complex scrapped
their rezoning application,
which, if approved, would have
allowed for a 12-year, $1 billion
redevelopment of the campus.
OCTOBER
Dottie Turano, longtime
Community Board 18 district
manager, retires: Longtime
southern Brooklyn civic
staple Dottie Turano stepped
down from her post as district
manager of Canarsie’s Community
COURIER L 10 IFE, DECEMBER 25-31, 2020
Board 18, marking an
end to her nearly four decades
of community service.
NOVEMBER
Brooklynites celebrate
Biden victory, Trump defeat
in spontaneous fashion:
After the major news
networks offi cially called the
presidential election in favor of
now President-elect Joe Biden,
Brooklynites took to the streets
for a series of impromptu celebrations.
Drivers honked
their horns, stoop-sitting locals
banged pots and pans, and
champagne corks popped from
noon until sundown as jubilant
revelers ushered in a new day
in American politics.
Split tolling to begin
on Verrazzano-Narrows
Bridge: Transit offi cials announced
split tolling on the
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
is set to begin on Dec 1. The
initiative is expected to help
improve air quality by reducing
the volume of cars passing
between Brooklyn and
Staten Island by eliminating
a 30-year loophole that required
travelers to pay the
full toll fare on just one side
of the bridge.
Angel Guardian becomes
Dyker’s fi rst landmark: City
offi cials voted on Nov. 10 to
designate Dyker Heights’
century-old Angel Guardian
Home a landmark — making
the building the neighborhood’s
fi rst preserved, historic
site.
Malliotakis, Gounardes,
Frontus win elections:
While the majority of Brooklyn
is solidly dominated by
securely Democratic districts
at every level of government,
the southern portion of
the borough featured three
hotly contested races in this
November’s national and
state elections. Most prominently,
Republican Nicole
Malliotakis unseated first
term Democratic Rep. Max
Rose for the congressional
seat covering Bay Ridge and
parts of Staten Island. Meanwhile,
two Democrats, state
Sen. Andrew Gounardes and
Assemblywoman Mathylde
Frontus, each eked out reelection
to their respective
seats.
Borough President Eric
Adams declares for mayor:
After months of speculation,
the Beep officially entered
the race for Gracie Mansion,
leaning on his time as
a police officer, a state legislator,
and borough president
to stand out in the increasingly
crowded June
2021 Democratic primary.
Adams would go on to outriase
nearly all of his opponents,
and was immediately
crowned as one of the race’s
frontrunners.
DECEMBER
City planning proposes
suite of new zoning regulations
for southern Brooklyn:
City planning honchos
proposed a suite of new zoning
measures for southern
Brooklyn’s coastal neighborhoods,
which intend to ease
restrictions that prevent
property owners from improving
their home’s fl ood
resiliency. At the same time,
scientists released a new interactive
map predicting
swaths of Brooklyn will suffer
annual fl oods by 2050 because
of rising sea levels.
COVID-19 vaccine brings
Pfi zer back to Brooklyn:
The COVID-19 vaccine arrived
in Brooklyn on December
14 and some healthcare
workers have already gotten
their fi rst dose. The vaccine,
produced by Pfi zer alongside
German-based BioNTech,
marks the return of Pfi zer to
the Brooklyn borough where
the massive global pharmaceutical
company once made
its humble beginnings.
Continued from page 6
Brooklynites took to the streets to celebrate Joe Biden’s election as
President of the United States. REEUTERS
Bill de Blasio
Mayor
Dave A. Chokshi, MD, MSc
Commissioner