Borough President can be seen as a largely ceremonial job with no real duties but in Brooklyn this year, voters are going to be presented with a real choice for the office. Marty Markowitz is an affable guy, gets plenty of laughs and is generally well liked. Yet his hearty support for Bruce Ratner and the Atlantic Yards development is loathed by Brooklynites that wish to preserve their home and not let an obnoxious developer dictate what is blighted and what is not. Markowitz was instrumental in helping Ratner to demolish several of downtown's blocks, using eminent domain to throw many residents to the curb.
Eugene Myrick isn't having any of it, and that's one of the reasons he's running:
Eugene Myrick, 37, recently became the first candidate to announce he's challenging the powerful two-time incumbent on the Democratic line in this September's primary.
Myrick's support is mostly over his opposition to Bruce Ratner's $4.9 billion project to build an NBA arena and 16 residential and office towers in Prospect Heights, a project for which Markowitz is widely considered to be the biggest booster.
The challenger -- who runs a bridal Web site with his wife, ex-KISS-FM deejay Kesha Monk -- told The Post he's upset with "sweetheart" cost-saving deals cut last week by the state and MTA to bail out Atlantic Yards, and ripped Markowitz for openly supporting them.
The Daily News recently started a "throw the bums out" campaign in response to the State Senate debacle. However, that "party" can be extended to local government and unfortunately, Markowitz is just another bum, despite the persona. I wish Myrick the best of luck in his race and hope that when Brooklyn goes to the polls, that they punish Markowitz for his collusion and install Myrick to give the borough a real chance for change.
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