Scissura says goodbye to Borough Hall

August 3, 2012 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Carlo Scissura, a top advisor to Borough President Marty Markowitz who will become president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce on Sept.1, spent his last day at his job at Borough Hall on Wednesday laughing, reminiscing with colleagues and munching on pizza.

Markowitz and his staff threw Scissura a farewell pizza party. The borough president presented his trusted aide with a statue of a replica of the Brooklyn Bridge and read a proclamation in his honor. Markowitz said that while he was sad to lose Scissura, he understood his desire to move on.

“The opportunity to be the head of a major organization like the chamber doesn’t happen very often,” the borough president said.

“The chamber wisely stole him from me!” Markowitz joked.

Scissura, who entered the reception room to music from “The Godfather,” a nod by his colleagues to his Italian-American roots, said he loved and admired Markowitz. “He has helped me grow as a person. What’s great about Marty is that he’s not afraid to let his staff shine. That’s not true of every elected official,” Scissura said.

Turning toward Markowitz, Scissura said, “I wish you were running for mayor. But I know you’re not.”

Scissura also thanked his colleagues. “I would not have been able to accomplish what I have without you. I will probably never have another group in my life ever again with the same working chemistry. We just clicked as a family,” he said.

Scissura, who has worked for Markowitz for five years, starts his new job on Sept. 1. He plans to take some time off from work until then, he said.

Scissura, a lawyer who lives in Bay Ridge, first worked as chief council to Markowitz, then as the borough president’s chief of staff. Last year, when Scissura was planning a run for borough president after Markowitz finishes his last term in 2013, he left the chief of staff job and moved over to become an advisor in order to avoid a conflict of interest.

He announced in the spring that he planned to take the chamber of commerce job. He also announced that he had given up his quest to be borough president.

Scissura, who was born and raised in Bensonhurst, is a former member of Community Board 11 and the School District 20 Community Education Council. He is vice chairman of the Federation of Italian American Organizations in Bensonhurst.

Scissura said he will look back on his days at Borough Hall with a great deal of fondness and said he hoped he and Markowitz would always be friends. “You have changed the course of my life,” he told the borough president