New Bay Ridge board of tourism discussed at Colonial Club meeting
On Thursday, Dec. 1, the Brooklyn Colonial Club welcomed guest speaker Justin Brannan, a Bay Ridge community leader and former chief of staff to Councilmember Vincent Gentile, to speak about his newest endeavor, the Bay Ridge Board of Tourism.
Brannan co-founded Bay Ridge Democrats and is considered a leading contender for Gentile’s seat when the councilmember’s third four-year term expires at the end of 2017. Brannan attended Xaverian High School, graduated from Fordham University and has worked at Bear Stearns, Bank of New York and Bankers Trust. He currently works for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration and serves as deputy executive director of intergovernmental affairs at the New York City Department of Education.
A Bay Ridge native and a musician who toured the world with his band for 10 years starting in 1996, Brannan said it was during this period away from home for extended amounts of time that he realized how much he missed his neighborhood and all the things it had to offer. “Absence truly does make the heart grow fonder,” he said. “After spending so much time on the road and away from home I realized how really special this neighborhood is and how much it meant to me growing up, how unique it is and how unique it has remained.”