Politics: He’d make a great mayor. He still loves Atlantic Yards. His city pension won’t cover his living expenses if he ever retires. And he will go to the mattresses to oppose tolls on the East River bridges. That’s just a small taste of what Borough President Markowitz had to say in our annual end-of-year interview with the irrepressible Beep. Comments (2).

DUMBO: State officials hurriedly closed Empire–Fulton Ferry State Park last week after getting a report that a Civil War–era warehouse was in imminent danger of collapse — the latest chapter in a long failure to develop the site. Comment.

Coney Island: The annual New Year’s swim at Coney Island used to be only about jumping into the frigid ocean — but now, the Polar Bear Club is finding itself in uncomfortably hot water for accepting a donation from Thor Equities, the mega-bucks developer that wants to create a Vegas-style amusement and residential district along the Boardwalk. Comments (3).

Brooklyn, Iowa: Reporting from Iowa, Editor Gersh Kuntzman learns that Brooklyn's famously Republican mayor is an Obama man! Comments (6).

Brooklyn, Iowa: The Brooklyn Paper will be covering the caucuses from our sister city in Iowa through Friday. Check BrooklynPaper.com — beginning Wednesday afternoon — for updates and fresh videos, and grab a copy of The Brooklyn Paper for full coverage. Comment.

Politics: It was a banner year for Borough President Markowitz. He played a role in attracting Trader Joe’s to Atlantic Avenue, got to flirt with the idea of running for mayor, and even deliberately insulted Robert Redford and the gay community. Love him or love him even more, Marty sure isn’t boring. So here it is: the year in Marty! Comment.

In 2007, The Brooklyn Paper’s readers found themselves on The Stoop, our new page dedicated to neighborhood news, gossip and all the other stuff that we talk about on our front steps. And what a year to make its debut! Comments (1).

Politics: Borough President Markowitz’s Christmas card was the best to land in our “In” box (that pile of mail near the linotype machine). So for our third consecutive year, here’s our exclusive analysis of all the hidden imagery in the elaborate artwork, including at least one reference to Markowitz’s nascent mayoral bid. Comment.

It wouldn’t be Brooklyn without the smackdown — those classic conflicts between a pair of feisty fighters. Comment.

Cartoon: From a tornado in Bay Ridge to a dead whale in the Gowanus Canal, Mother Nature fooled with Brooklyn for most of the year (heck, we even had some snow in January — a miracle!). Here are the stories that showed some of Mom’s wrath — and her good-natured side. Comment.

Brooklyn Angle: Here’s the real reason why this is the most wonderful time of the year. Comment.

Coney Island: This year, Coney Island residents debated two visions for the neighborhood — one presented by the Bloomberg Administration, the other presented by the area’s principal landowner, Thor Equities. This week, we invited a proponent of each plan to slug it our in our first ever Coney Island Smackdown! Comments (29).

Bay Ridge: The candidate who nearly unseated New York City’s lone Republican congressman Vito Fossella in 2006 isn’t taking any chances this time around — he’s already won a key endorsement, even as a new report shows that his opponent’s finances are in trouble. Comments (3).

Smartmom: Smartmom’s tree is a symbol — not of the birth of Jesus, silly, but of her acceptance of her family’s new holiday traditions. Comment.

In the spirit of encouraging a free exchange of ideas, The Brooklyn Paper makes this space available to our readers. Comment.