When Barack touches down in New York on Thursday, he better be Brooklyn bound, say borough leaders who believe the commander in chief’s presence would bring some solace to Hurricane Sandy-scarred residents facing a long recovery.
The White House hasn’t released the itinerary for President Obama’s Nov. 15 trip to survey the damage the super storm inflicted on the five boroughs, yet Borough President Markowitz, Brooklyn’s other commander in chief, said a visit to Coney Island and Brighton Beach is essential — but not because Brooklynites cast more ballots for Obama than any other part of the city last week.
“A presidential visit to Brooklyn would surely give residents a much-needed lift and a sense of comfort knowing that our federal government is doing all it can to support our borough,” said Markowitz.
Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny (D–Coney Island), a Seagate resident who’s home and car were damaged by Sandy’s rising floodwaters, said a visit by the one-time Park Slope resident would reassure desperate residents that more federal help is on the way.
“Coney Island and Seagate are waiting for him,” the legislator said. “We definitely need to see him in the area.”
Coney Island USA founder Dick Zigun, the unofficial mayor of Coney Island and the man behind the famous Sideshows by the Seashore, said Obama should swing by Brooklyn because of the sheer amount of people who live here — even if he doesn’t have time to grab a hot dog at Nathan’s.
“It’s always a good idea for the President to visit Brooklyn — it’s the fourth largest city in the country,” said Zigun, who urged his Twitter followers to vote for Obama so Federal Emergency Management Agency funds would keep coming to Hurricane Sandy-ravaged neighborhoods. “We’d love to see him in Coney Island, but he’s the President of the United States. He has better things to do than talk to me.”
