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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 insulted Robert Redford and the gay community. Love him or love him even more, Markowitz sure isn’t boring. So here it is: the year in Marty!

January

The cookie crumbles?: Markowitz didn’t use a Magic-8 ball to predict whether he would run for mayor in 2009. Instead, he stopped his State of the Borough address to crack open a Chinese cookie and read the contents: “If it’s good for Brooklyn, it’s good for New York City.” With Markowitz still undecided, the Department of Investigation begins a probe into the maker of the fraudulent fortune cookie.

February

When he’s 62: On Feb. 14, Markowitz turned 62, making him officially eligible for Social Security and full-fledged membership in AARP. Now that he’s a senior citizen, we expect lots of self-deprecating remarks about his age. But they won’t be as funny as those jokes about his weight and his height. Those never get old.

March

Marty loves Bruce, Part I: After weeks of silence on the controversy over Bruce Ratner’s naming-rights deal with slavery-linked Barclays Bank, Markowitz told a constituent that “many institutions with long histories … have had dealings that run counter to the values of all who hold human rights dear.”

April

Jailhouse shop: Markowitz suggests that Trader Joe’s would be an excellent tenant in a newly created retail space at the soon-to-reopen House of Detention on Atlantic Avenue. The California-based grocer later settles on a site a few blocks away, ending inmates’ dreams of smuggling bottles of Two-Buck Chuck through the bars.

May

All ashore: Markowitz took a six-day tourism-generating business trip (free cruise) on the Queen Mary 2, which started docking in Red Hook this year. Most folks shell out $10,000 for a trip on the world’s largest passenger ship, but Marty got a free ride in exchange for giving three lectures to would-be Brooklyn tourists and having “informal onboard interactions” with passengers. Never has shuffleboard on the Lido deck been so educational!

June

Marty and Sundance: Markowitz looks like Robert Redford in the same way that Dom DeLouise resembles Burt Reynolds — but that didn’t stop the Beep from making the comparison when the Oscar winner was in town. “People tell me all the time that I look like Robert Redford,” Markowitz said. No one has ever told Redford he looks like Markowitz — ever.

Marty ’n’ Bloomy sittin’ in a tree: Mayor Bloomberg opened his Upper East Side mansion to Markowitz boosters for a fundraiser that netted the on-again-off-again mayoral hopeful $250,000 — enough to pay for 25 rides on the Queen Mary 2.

July

Shop steward: After landing Trader Joe’s, Markowitz started focusing on getting the swanky Nordstrom department store to Downtown Brooklyn. We think it would be perfect on the Fulton Mall — right next to Cellular Island and Jimmy Jazz.

August

High anxiety: Markowitz objects to developer David Walentas’s plan for an apartment building that would be 10 feet taller the 50-foot height limit of the Cobble Hill Historic District. Markowitz, who had no problem with the 16 skyscrapers of Atlantic Yards, said the 60-foot building would set a “dangerous precedent.”

September

Gays say no to Noach: Markowitz loses his substantial gay support by endorsing Noach Dear for Civil Court. The former city councilman made a career out of baiting homosexuals with inflammatory anti-gay rhetoric. “We now regard him with universal disdain,” said one prominent gay activist. But Dear won the election anyway.

October

Italian for a day: We’re not certain about the national origin of the name “Markowitz,” but we’re pretty sure it ain’t Italian. But the Beep didn’t let that stand in his way as he led Brooklyn’s Columbus Day parade. Hey, we know for sure he loves Italian food. That should count for something.

November

Marty loves Bruce, Part II: Markowitz minimizes some activists’ concern that Bruce Ratner’s glass-walled Atlantic Yards arena would be a terror target. “I am confident that Forest City Ratner is taking the proper steps in working with the NYPD … in ensuring the project adheres to the highest standards of safety,” he said.

December

Disgruntled ex: A former Borough Hall staffer sues Markowitz, claiming she was discriminated against on the “basis of her age and gender.” The Beep’s office called the claims “unfounded,” adding that the former worker is just a disgruntled former employee who got fired.

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper