Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and US Senator Chuck Schumer were the A-listers from a who’s who list of New York Democrats that turned up last night at Central Brooklyn refurbished and stunning Loew’s Kings Theater on Flatbush Avenue between Beverly and Albermarle roads.
The event was the annual Kings County Democrats dinner, and Kings County Democratic Party Chair Frank Seddio said it was an easy decision to hold the event at the 3,300-seat theater in Central Brooklyn, a block away from Erasmus High School.
“This theater is the quintessential Brooklyn. The old Brooklyn converging with the new, and that speaks for itself,” said Seddio, adding that everything about the theater and it’s location were representative of the diversity of Brooklyn.
And while Cuomo worked the room with with a short speech and handshakes before leaving, both de Blasio and Schumer stayed longer. Both fondly recalled their Brooklyn start in politics, and shook hands and mingled with old friends.
Seddio said the strength of the Democratic Party, which has the second highest amount of registered Democrats (After Chicago’s Cook County) in the country is in unity and the ability to bring people together.
“Making my success, if you call it that, is the fact I’v e been able to bring people with different opinions, even sometimes enemies, and put them at a table together and let them talk to each other, at least work things out,” the veteran Carnarsie lawmaker said.
“For the lonegest time we’ve had these spheres of influence. We had the liberals or whatever they want to call themselves or reformers. We had the regulars. We had north Brooklyn, south Brooklyn, central Brooklyn. Now we just have one Brooklyn. We’re all interacting with eachother all the time. A big part of it is communication. Keeping in touch with everybody. It’s talking to people and the biggest part is listening to people and I think that’s what made it work the most,” he added.
“Listening to other people’s opinions, respecting them, and when you’re wrong admitting you’re wrong, and when you’re right they give you the credit and when someone is right give them the credit. That’s the key.”
