I would like to make some observations about the article listed below. While I wholeheartedly agree that Bensonhurst can be described as “a neighborhood where hardworking parents raise educated, ambitious children”, I must add that this has been possible for generations because of the community bond that resulted in working together towards the closest realization of the melting pot atmosphere which is one of the major characteristics of Bensonhurst. It is a fact that walking through the streets of Bensonhurst, one can read shop signs in several different languages including the Italian language.

It is however outright deplorable and senseless to change, or even attempt to change, the fiber and the composition of any community by imposing demographic changes that do not reflect the actual make-up of the community. As a born-and bred native of Bensonhurst, I very much oppose the proposed district changes that would affect a very large portion of Bensonhurst solely to accommodate people who originally had nothing to do with our area and who are being forced to become part of a community without following the natural course of events that is referred to as the “melting pot” effect.

The citizens of Bensonhurst have always welcomed other ethnic groups and will continue to welcome all people who, like our ancestors, decided to settle here and become part of this community. This decision should be the community’s and not an imposition that comes from career politicians that are interested only in perpetuating themselves in office through manipulation  and false pretenses of championing  the rights of representation of one ethnic group as opposed to the rights of other ethnic groups as the necessity for  such changes.

Hence, the necessity for all people of Bensonhurst and any other community subjected to such a political intrusion is to rise up and be counted against these blatant demagogic actions.

Lucretia Regina-Potter

Republican District Leader 49AD

You could say we put the “class” in working class.

A piece by Brooklyn Eagle editor Raanan Geberer, which summed up the findings of a recent report put out by the Center for the Study of Brooklyn at Brooklyn College, describes Bensonhurst as a neighborhood where hardworking parents raise educated, ambitious children. And when it comes to smoking and health, we’re sort of like France.

One of the most promising findings in the article – which was published yesterday – was that, despite Bensonhurst’s working class, immigrant demographic (or maybe because of it), our hood has generally not displayed significant signs of encroaching poverty – indicators which have become increasingly common in blue collar communities throughout the country since the current economic downturn began in 2008. Much of the data used in the study was from 2008-2009.

This sign outside of a Bay Parkway barber shop illustrates how Bensonhurst’s big city diversity and old school values often coexist as opposite sides of the same coin.

In fact, poverty among children in Bensonhurst had actually decreased by around one third since 2000.

From the Eagle:

Although Bensonhurst and Bath Beach are basically working-class areas with a growing number of immigrants, there are few indicators of what sociologists call the “culture of poverty.”

Sixty-three percent of today’s Community District 11 high school students graduate on time, higher than the borough-wide average of 58.8 percent. And 54.2 percent of the area’s students head to college, more than the 48 percent borough-wide figure. Only 21 percent of the adults aged 25 or older are college graduates, but it’s typical in immigrant areas for children to become better educated than their parents.

Community District 11’s median household income rose only slightly from 2000 to 2007-09, from $41,873 to $42,071. In 2007-09, 18.6 percent of all children under the age of 18 lived in poverty, down from 27.5 percent in 2000.

The neighborhood’s evolving ethnic makeup is also reflected in the report.

The white population decreased between 2000 and 2007-09 from 65 percent to 52 percent, while at the same time the Asian population increased from 23 percent to 33.7 percent, with the Latino population increasing from 8.2 percent to 12.6 percent.

The area’s top three ethnic groups – in order from first to third, Italian, Chinese, and Russian – remained the same.

The order of the most common places of birth however, had changed – albeit slightly. While in 2000 it was New York State, China, Italy, Russia, and Ukraine, in 2007-2009 Russia had replaced Italy in the number three spot, with Italy dropping to number four.

Also indicative of Bensonhurst’s growing immigrant population is the number of households whose adult residents speak little or no English – which rose from 27.8 percent to 37.9 percent.

To top it all off, in spite of having one of the city’s highest smoking rates, the report states that neighborhood residents seem to be healthy. The majority of residents polled for the study responded that they were in good or excellent health. The percentage of people eating fresh fruits and vegetables at least once a day increased from 80 in 2000 to 85 in 2007-09, while the number of people who exercised within the past month increased from 71 percent to 86.

http://www.bensonhurstbean.com/2012/02/report-things-looking-up-in-a-changing-bensonhurst

by Lucretia Regina-Potter

In a strange coincidence that makes a person raise her eyebrows, Assemblyman Peter Abbate, otherwise known as “the union’s poodle”, recently took a trip to China. The coincidence is strange because of two related happenings in the same time. One, and perhaps the most important of these coincidences is Mr. Abbate’s acceptance and support for the establishment of an Asian-American District that has been proposed by LAFTOR and that will replace the 49^th AD as it is now.

Another reason is his listed expenditure of $2,500.00 to the Asian- American Business Development Center in his January 2012 NYS Board of Elections financial disclosure report for a “business trip”. http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=efs_sch_report+p_filer_id=A03218+p_e_year=2012+p_freport_id=J+p_transaction_code=F

If we deeply scrutinize these two developments, one must conclude these were “preventive steps” by Mr. Abbate to prepare and pave the way for his self-perpetuation in office by showing his support to the establishment of such a district in the 49 AD. This new district will take a few years to actually materialize in terms of voting population, just enough time for Peter Abbate to retire and collect his tax exempt hefty pension from the State of New York without any viable challengers from any political party.

This divisive and unethical reapportionment act based solely on ethnic make up of the population should be rejected by those people who have been living in the area as a harmonious community and working together as a group.  It has also been stated apropos of the creation of a similar district in Queens in the “Heard About the Town” Segment of the Feb 1 issue of City & State First Read  http://cb.sailthru.com/view/cfxo.ba/b2ca091c

* The Asian-American community is happy with the creation of a new Asian-majority state Senate seat in Queens, but has plenty of problems with it.  “It seems, based on the proposal … [it is a] cynical game of trying to pit Asian-American communities against virtually everyone else,” said Bright Limm, president of Korean Americans for Political Advancement, at a rally on the steps of City Hall yesterday. “Yes, it is an Asian-American majority district, but it needs not, and therefore should not, come at the expense of dividing communities that are in the proposed district and other surrounding communities.”

The creation of any district should not come at the expense of dividing communities and especially not for the self preservation of any elected official. Once again, Peter Abbate has underestimated the intelligence, respect, and pride the residents of the current 49AD have for their area, regardless of ethnic population. Peter Abbate has made it his business to give his constituents “the business” once again!

Lucretia Regina-Potter is the Female Republican District Leader of the 49^th Assembly District in Brooklyn, N.Y.  She can be reached at contact@LucretiaRegina-Potter.com

www.LucretiaRegina-Potter.com

by Lucretia Regina-Potter

As the Female Republican District Leader of the 49^th Assembly District, I vehemently oppose the latest proposed reapportionment of the 49^th AD by the NYS Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LAFTOR). The lines that have been drawn are arbitrary, capricious, and politically motivated attempts by the legislators of BOTH parties whose only preoccupation is to preserve their political position.

In my opinion, their actions of self-preservation go even further in the 49^th Assembly District. I strongly believe these actions show a clear conspiracy and the outright and prevailing intent to eliminate my position as the duly elected Female Republican District Leader of the 49^th AD. This is in fact evident when we look at the map of the new district as suggested by LAFTOR.     http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/prop2012a/pa049.pdf

The camouflage becomes more evident when LAFTOR claims that their intent is to create an Asian-American district out of the 49^th AD, which has historically been an Italian –American district: a falsis principiis proficisci or a false starting premise. At this point, the question can be raised: Why is an Asian-American district better than an Italian-American district? Why the change? A change of a district lines based only on ethnic reasons is outright wrong, divisive, and even against the law. When we consider that affinity and community interests should be an integral part of the make up of any district we discover that these factors are conspicuously missing.

To cut me out of the 49^th AD and place me into the 46^th AD serves only to get rid of a viable opponent and possible challenger through a candidacy for office to the powers that be, regardless of political affiliation. It is for these reasons that I strongly support Governor Cuomo’s determination to veto all the proposed redistricting plans. To that effect, I have sent the following letter to only person who has the power to stop this farce and bring positive changes to the actions of those people who make up what has been described as the most “dysfunctional legislature in the United States.”

No one has crossed the Rubicon yet!  I strongly urge all people who love good and fair government “of the people, by the people, for the people” to do something.  Step up and be counted!

“Ante alea iacta est” or before the die is cast.

Lucretia Regina-Potter is the Female Republican District Leader of the 49^th Assembly District in Brooklyn, N.Y.  She can be reached at contact@LucretiaRegina-Potter.com

www.LucretiaRegina-Potter.com

Letter to Governor Cuomo:

_________________________________________________________________________________

January 30, 2012

Dear Governor Cuomo:

As the Female Republican District Leader of the 49 Assembly District, I would like to add my opposition to the proposed reapportionment of the NYS Assembly Districts and in particular, of the 49^th AD in Brooklyn. The politicians of both parties camouflage the issue under the appearance of creating districts that better represent their ethnic composition. However, they are disenfranchising thousands of people, mostly of the same background who have lived in the same community for generations. The proposed reapportionment of the 49^th AD also denies these people of their constitutional right to live in an area of their choice. Many the reasons that affect their choice include affinity, as well as shared geographic and community interests.

My Italian-American ancestors, just like your ancestors, decided to live and raise their family in an area of their choice. I have lived and raised my children in Bensonhurst, one of the most Italian-American communities in the State of New York. This community has always welcomed immigrants of many ethnic groups, and today we can proudly say that our community is one of the best examples of people living together and working hard regardless of their ethnic background. I believe to express the opinion of the greatest majority of the people of Dyker Heights, Bath Beach, Bensonhurst, and Bay Ridge when I say that reapportionments based only on ethnic reason, and disregarding the natural geographical locations and affinity denomination of the population of a community, is not the intended objective of the law.

One example of the political manipulation and distortion of the intent of the law is the 46^th Assembly District, where a part of the district is connected to the rest of the district only by virtue of miles of unpopulated highway. This is not only absurd, but also against any practical reason for the establishment of the disparity of such a district.

In my modest opinion, the only reason why the 49^th AD is being “sliced and diced” appears to be a direct and blatant attempt to eliminate and remove me from my strong position of District Leader and the destruction of the base of my constituency, thus eliminating any possible future challenges as candidate for public office.

I support your stand on this issue and I sincerely hope that you will veto such a blatant disregard of the rights of the people and reckless actions of members of the legislature of both parties.

Sincerely,

Lucretia Regina-Potter

Republican District Leader 49AD

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Proposed Map of 49th AD-LAFTOR