Public safety, sanitation issues highlight Gentile town hall

June 30, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Representatives from several city agencies came to the town hall to answer questions from local residents. Photo courtesy of Councilmember Vincent Gentile’s office

Share this:

With the end of his tenure as a City Council member on the horizon, Vincent Gentile is spending his last months in office trying to build bridges between his constituents and city officials who can help them with quality-of-life issues.

On June 27, Gentile (D-Bay Ridge-Dyker Heights-Bensonhurst) held a town hall at Saint Anselm Catholic Academy at 365 83rd St. in Bay Ridge, bringing several representatives of various city agencies into the neighborhood so that they could hear first hand from local residents.

NYPD officials told residents at the forum that they have stepped up efforts in recent weeks to combat burglaries taking place in the area.

The residents who attended the town hall were also told that Gentile worked to secure funding in the city budget for the Department of Sanitation to keep the streets of the district clean with trash pickups and street sweeper trucks.

Gentile, who was first elected to the City Council in 2003 during the Bloomberg administration, is currently serving in his last term. Because of New York City’s term limits law, he cannot run for re-election to the Council.

Gentile has entered the crowded field of Democratic candidates running for Brooklyn district attorney.

The topics at the town hall also included tree pruning, sidewalk defects, park maintenance and traffic issues, according to Gentile’s office.

Gentile said he was pleased with the results of the forum, which featured a lot of give-and-take between audience members and city officials.

“Town halls are a great way for local residents to get their concerns to the various city agencies and have their issues resolved. Hard-working taxpayers should be able to get their money’s worth and voice their issues to their government,” Gentile said.

In attendance were senior representatives from the following agencies: Department of Environmental Protection; Department of Finance; Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs; Office of Emergency Management; Breaking Ground and the Department of Homeless Services; Parks Department; Department of Transportation; Department of Buildings; Department of Education; Department of Sanitation; New York City Fire Department; and the 68 and 62 precincts of the New York City Police Department.

MTA and the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) were invited to attend, but did not participate in the forum, according to Gentile’s office.

Constituents with concerns can contact Gentile’s Bay Ridge district office at 718-748-5200.