By Harold Egeln
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

(This is the fourth in a series of profiles of the 39th Council District candidates. The first three were Brad Lander, Josh Skaller and Bob Zuckerman)

CARROLL GARDENS – Getting his activist feet wet at Rutgers University’s Environmental Clinic and putting them firmly on the ground in Carroll Gardens as he walked through a growing list of neighborhood concerns and problems, candidate Gary Reilly is ready to get to work at the City Council table.

“I’m listening and learning, enjoying it as always,� said attorney Reilly, one of five Democrats seeking to be their party’s candidate in the 39th Council District primary election on Sept. 15 to replace outgoing Councilman Bill de Blasio, who’s running for public advocate. He was elated that Mayor Bloomberg, on his own, recently announced that the F express train should be restored after over 30 years off the track.

“Voters tell me they could hardly believe that it hadn’t already been done. Our F-express train petition has been on the streets for nearly two years,� said Reilly, sitting for this interview in the cozy Fall Café on Smith Street. Over 4,300 signatures were collected.

One of his top issues is over-development and bringing in smart sustainable development emphasizing infrastructure work for basic services and schools along with community input before developers first present their plans. “This is a major concern I hear from voters all over the district after all the ‘wild west’ development we’ve seen,� said Reilly.

On the contentious Atlantic Yards issue, Reilly sees a better use. “I’m for the Vanderbilt Yards development. The open rail yards are a tremendous piece of real estate and the tracks could better serve the alphabet soup of subway lines that intersect there, which the MTA may need,� he said.

The Unity Plan is the best way to go and grow suitable development with affordable housing and right-fit public facilities and commercial uses “attractive to private investment,� Reilly said, rather than the troubled ambitious original plan. “Smart development has happened in other cities, so why not here?�

As for Gowanus Canal Super-Fund cleanup plans and development Reilly said, “The EPA has the experience and tools best suited for the job. It’s good that it will be out of city and DEC hands.�

Improving the sewage infrastructure around the canal is a must. “Every time it rains sewage pours into the streets and canal, something like 70 or 80 times a year. We need this opportunity for a full cleanup,� said Reilly.

Although married without children, Reilly, 35, hears a lot from his friends and local residents about pre-k education. “People are paying thousands of dollars a year for private pre-k school. Let’s get rid of the lottery for pre-k admission. We need 100 percent accessible public school pre-k capacity for all.�

On the eve of a Transportation Alternatives candidates debate in Park Slope, Reilly mentioned a car-free Prospect Park. “The park should be an oasis. No cars, but for people and bicyclists. I’m the only candidate advocating this. There should’ve been a trial period for bikes-only this summer to test the viability of a car-free park and its impact on the neighborhood.�

Cars are allowed only during weekday morning and evening rush hours. Reilly is mindful of the tough traffic issues at Park Circle at the park’s south end and that must be resolved, he said.

On neighborhood curb cut issues, being active with the Coalition to Curb the Use of Curb Cuts and two Community Board 6 committees, Reilly wants to eliminate the self-certification process now allowed by the Buildings Department.

“Right now, it’s a regulatory black hole that needs to be plugged,� Reilly said, citing Fourth Place in Carroll Gardens as “the poster child of curb-cut excess.�

As for the spark that launched his campaign, it was de Blasio’s announcement about running for public advocate in November 2007. “I talked with my wife Mia about it the next month. She said, ‘Go for it!’ This has been an incredible learning process and I want to sit at the council table to take action on our issues,� Reilly said.

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