How Marty Markowitz Transformed Brooklyn
Marty’s style brings out the performers in others. The comically enormous Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir showed up to sing, but so too did Christine Quinn (wearing a Nets hat), who sang a tune she’d written a la The Sound of Music, “How Do You Solve a Problem like Marty Leaving?” Tony Danza showed up and did a rap—”you’ve heard of Vanilla Ice? I’m Italian Ice”—listing famous people born in Brooklyn, including Marty. Larry King appeared in a pre-taped segment in which he interacted with the Beep; Jimmy Kimmel wished him well; and Hillary Clinton sent a letter of appreciation. Jay Black (of Jay and the Americans), now 74-years-old, sang his 1965 hit “Cara Mia,” including all the high notes. “My voice outlasted my sex organ,” he said.
Marty’s proper State of the Borough address nodded to the late Ed Koch by repeatedly asking “How’s Brooklyn doin’?” He answered by relentlessly outlining Brooklyn’s ascendancy: new startups, car dealerships, the “emerging tech triangle,” the booming film industry, the BAM Cultural District, Tropfest, the VMAs, new schools and museums, “the most lesbians on the Eastern seaboard,” new supermarkets, parks, subway stations, community centers, and affordable housing units. It was an argument for north-to-south, west-to-east triumphs, a rundown of every news story you’ve ever read or missed about something new coming to Brooklyn. “It’s clear Brooklyn’s more than a freakin’ tree,” Markowitz said, cover art of Betty Smith’s book projected behind him. (He also acknowledged that “all our neighborhoods must share in Brooklyn’s renaissance.”)
It was an impressive list of the borough’s accomplishments beyond the hipsterania you read about in the Times (and here). It was a vision of Brooklyn as a city of neighborhoods, so rich in culture and basic infrastructure that you need never leave. Marty’s pro-Brooklyn, anti-Manhattan zealotry exceeds my own. He worked to make Brooklyn a world-class city and then tirelessly sold that image to the world. You could start to understand why Marty fought so hard to build this arena, what he ickily called “The House that Bruce Built.” (He said he calls Bruce Ratner “Cousin Brucie.”) Even if the arena had promised no new jobs, no new affordable housing, just a bill to taxpayers for construction and abuse of eminent domain, Markowitz still would have fought for it. The practical benefits were just trappings, things you could sell to a skeptical populace. Because a world-class city like Brooklyn needs an arena—it needs a professional sports team and a venue for The Rolling Stones. You can’t say Marty didn’t always do what he thought was best for Brooklyn. You could just disagree with him about what that was.
Follow Henry Stewart on Twitter @henrycstewart
