Montague Street BID honors Judy Stanton at annual meeting

June 19, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Montague Street BID honored Judy Stanton, who Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon referred to as the “Mayor of Brooklyn Heights,” during its 18th annual membership meeting on Wednesday. Eagle photos by Rob Abruzzese

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The Montague Street BID held its 18th annual meeting in the back of 132 Montague Bar and Grill on Wednesday where it honored “the Mayor of Brooklyn Heights,” Judy Stanton, for her lifetime of work helping the local community.

“Judy Stanton has been a tireless advocate for the community of Brooklyn Heights,” BID’s President Diana Dolling-Ross said. “We would not be here if not for Judy since she was instrumental in founding the Montague Street BID 18 years ago. I’m honored to present this award from our hearts to Judy for her commitment to and her passion for this neighborhood.”

Stanton tried to deflect attention from herself upon receiving the award and did not give a speech, but she was also honored by Jim Harvey who presented Stanton with a proclamation on behalf of Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon.

“A great neighborhood is only as great as the individuals who work tirelessly to make it great,” Simon’s proclamation read. “Judy Stanton has proven herself to be an exemplary community-minded individual for more than three decades, serving first as a member of the Brooklyn Heights Association’s Board of Governors and then serving as the first and only executive director of that association.

“Judy Stanton has also been an advocate on a broad scale for issues affecting her community including working to save Long Island College Hospital, facilitating the creation of Brooklyn Bridge Park and fighting for the creation of a Gowanus Expressway Tunnel as well as a host of other transportation issues,” the proclamation continued. “Judy has shown that she is not only willing but actually enjoys helping people in her community.”

In addition to Stanton being honored, Sergio Centa, captain of the 84th Precinct, and the NYC Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer gave speeches. The BID’s Executive Director Brigit Pinnell also presented the annual report.

“It’s been a busy year,” Pinnell said. “This year the BID continued its amazing effort with a new tagline: Brooklyn Begins Here. The tagline is a bold vision for the future as well as being a historic reference to being the commercial heart of New York City’s first ever landmarked district and generally thought to be iconic part of Brooklyn’s identity.”

Pinnell discussed many of the things the BID has been involved in over the past year including the work of the BID’s sanitation crew, which logged more than 3,100 hours and bagged almost 200,000 pounds of trash over the course of the year. She also discussed successful events such as “Summer Space” and “Downtown for the Holidays.” The bid also successfully lobbied the Department of Transportation to install more and replace old bike racks throughout Montague Street.

“Not only did we get double the racks that we had before, but the DOT replaced all of them,” Pinnell said. “So now we have a consistent look in the district and all the bikes are pretty much off the street furniture.”

Capt. Centa brought along bad news that crime has risen in his precinct by 11 percent, but noted that the majority of that is due to the increased popularity of Brooklyn Bridge Park as well as theft of Citi Bikes. The city has since approved weekend overtime to address those issues. He added that Montague Street itself has a relatively low crime rate with stores like Verizon, Banana Republic and AT&T being the prime targets of theft.

“There have been about 15 major incidents of crime on Montague Street – 11 of those were grand larceny, and, of those 11, seven were shoplifting,” Centa said. The other incidents included an ID theft and a wallet left in a cab. “Montague Street is still a safe place, and we’re working hard to keep it that way.”

Finally, Torres-Springer said the city uses the BID’s accomplishments as an example for the rest of the city.

“I want to thank your President Diana Dolling-Ross and BID Executive Director Brigit Pinnell for their continued leadership to ensure the continued vibrancy and growth of Brooklyn Heights,” Torres-Springer said. “Your vision has been instrumental in serving not just the local businesses in the area, but creating the best possible neighborhood for visitors, employees and students. You have really made an impact on this neighborhood.”