the area’s storm preparedness.
Rest in peace: Former
Sheepshead Bay Councilman
Lew Fidler died on May 5 at
the age of 62. The longtime
Democratic political operative,
who represented Bergen
Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Marine
Park, Mill Basin, and Canarsie
in Council from 2002
until 2013, was found unconscious
in Queens on May 4,
and died of natural causes,
according to the medical examiner.
Disgraced: A federal
judge sentenced State Sen.
John Sampson (D–East Flatbush)
to fi ve years in prison
for stealing $440,000 while
working as a court-appointed
referee for foreclosure proceedings.
COURIER LIFE,8 DEC. 27, 2019-JAN. 2, 2020
The senator, who
was found guilty for embezzling
the money in 2015, had
served as the senate minority
leader and chairman of the
Ethics Committee
Setting sail: Singaporean
conglomerate SUTL Group
had a soft opening of its private
marina ONE°15 Brooklyn
Marina at Brooklyn
Bridge Park on May 8. The
pier marked the Southeast
Asian company’s fi rst such
venture in the US, on eight
acres of waterfront between
piers 4 and 5 at a price tag of
more than $28 million with
space to berth up to 100 boats,
ranging in size from dinghies
to 200-foot vessels and offer
space for casual captains at
the fi rst new marina in decades.
New face: City Councilwoman
Farah Louis won the
special election for the southern
Brooklyn council seat vacated
by Public Advocate Jumaane
Williams on May 14.
Louis — who served as Williams’
deputy chief of staff for
six years but was passed over
for his endorsement— took
home 42 percent of the vote
against two other candidates,
Monique Chandler-Waterman
and Silvia Hinds-Radix.
No shelter: Park Slope
residents reacted with fury to
plans for a new homeless shelter
that would serve families
on Fourth Avenue at a meeting
in May. Locals shouted
down and booed city offi cials
and nonprofi t shelter operators,
who they accused of
bailing out developers with
pricey city contracts. Many
Slopers expressed concern
about the shelter affecting
property values in the ritzy,
liberal neighborhood, leading
some to accuse them of being
faux-progressives.
Toxic tides: Toxic bluegreen
algae infested Prospect
Park in late May, forcing locals
to take extra precaution
to avoid the hazardous material
— which can give you a
rash, and even kill furry canines,
according to offi cials
with the State Department
of Environmental Conservation.
This infestation marked
the fi fth consecutive summer
that the algae was spotted in
Brooklyn’s Backyard. The
substance lives relatively dormant
in Prospect Park Lake
during most of the year, but
blooms during the summer
— causing a blue-green tint
to appear on the water’s surface.
No-moratorium: Utility
company National Grid instituted
a months-long moratorium
on new gasoline customers
in Brooklyn, Queens, and
parts of Long Island in May
after state regulators nixed a
plan to build a massive pipeline
off the coast of Coney Island.
Hundreds of customers
were left without gas — including
would-be businesses
that couldn’t open — because
of the power struggle between
Continued from Page 6
Continued on Page 10
2019 REVIEW
Father Joe DeVincenzo expressed concerns that a proposed families
shelter would affect his property values at a meeting in May.
Photo by Colin Mixson
Gross!: Blue-green algae found
near the western bank of Prospect
Park Lake on May 28. DEC
You Can Lose 20-30lbs in 45 Days!!
Inquire within now!
917.444.3043
B Q
1316 Kings Highway, Brooklyn, NY
www.EliteWeightLossNY.com
B7
B82
Free Consultation-
GET STARTED TODAY!!!
BEST MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS
/www.EliteWeightLossNY.com
/www.EliteWeightLossNY.com
