Republicans Revitalized in Brooklyn: Senator Golden to Speak at Brooklyn Young Republican Club Meeting

Posted by Brooklyn Young Republican Club

Published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Written by Kathy Wang (8/9/06)

BAY RIDGE — State Senator Marty Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) has been tapped as the guest speaker at the Brooklyn Young Republican Club’s monthly meeting tonight in Bay Ridge.

"Senator Golden has been a great voice for us," said Bob Capano, president of the BYRC since April of this year.  "He’s a leading Republican not only in Brooklyn but also in New York State, and we look to him for guidance."

"Mr. Golden was invited by the club and has chosen to go because it’s important to mobilize the youth base of the Republicans," said John Quaglione, spokesman for Senator Golden.  "Our goal is to obtain voter turnout to ensure victory in this year’s statewide elections and follow in the footsteps of Governor Pataki."

A former New York City police officer, Golden has also served two terms as a member of the City Council, representing the 43rd Councilmanic District that covers most of Southwest Brooklyn.  Golden is now in his second term as State Senator of the 22nd Senate District, which includes the neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend and parts of Sheepshead Bay, Boro Park and Midwood.

In office, Golden’s efforts have been focused on combating neighborhood crime, enhancing the condition of schools, cutting taxes, and strengthening the city’s economy.  He was also active in coordinating relief efforts after September 11.  In addition, Golden is chairman of the Senate Committee on Aging and has worked to improve the quality of life of senior citizens in Brooklyn.

Past guest speakers of hte club have included New York State Conservative Party leader Mike Long, former Libertarian candidate for Governor Scott Jeffery, former Senate candidates Michael Benjamin and Ed Cox, current Senate candidate John Spencer, Republican candidate for State Assembly Anthony Xanthakis, and Assemblymen Pat Manning and Vincent Ignizio.

CLUB REVIVED DURING 2004 ELECTIONS

Dormant until it was reformed amidst the fervor of the 2004 presidential elections, the club is the first young Republican movement in the borough in many years and was founded to provide an environment encouraging political expression and interaction among young Republicans.

"We hope to expand our membership through not only meetings but also through social events–we provide a forum for young Republicans to get together and socialize, and I think that’s what maintains our growth," said Capano.  A pizza reception and an outing to a Cyclones game have been examples of recent opportunities for members to mingle.

Some of the club’s other recent activities include a high-profile rally in July outside the New York Times headquarters in Manhattan protesting the newspaper’s publication of Treasury Department financial programs to help track down terrorists.  The club has also campaigned with its gubernatorial candidate John Faso, and members have collected close to 700 signatures in the past several weeks in petitioning to place Republicans in office.

After a humble two years, the club now claims almost 60 members and had its largest turnout yet at last month’s meeting with about 50 people.

“I was very encouraged by the last meeting and by the past few months,” said Capano.  “We’ve seen a lot of new and younger faces.”

“We in Bay Ridge and southwest Brooklyn are just a small red dot in a sea of blue in New York,” Capano noted.  Despite acknowledging the uphill climb in gaining popularity, both the BYRC and Golden’s office expressed strong beliefs that the Republican agenda would resound with voters in New York.

“Everybody says that the Republican Party in New York State is in turmoil and disarray,” wrote Luke Vander Linden, former president of the BYRC, in the 2006 State of the Club address.  “If that’s true, it’s because the Party leadership has forgotten the grassroots.  I don’t think all is lost this year.”

Golden’s office also has high hopes.  “Enrollment has been on the rise,” said Quaglione.  “We’ve formed the Brooklyn Republican Victory Committee in trying to build a coalition.  The horse is not loose just yet.”

The Brooklyn Young Republican Club meets at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at Peggy O’Neill’s (8123 5th Avenue between 81st and 82nd St.) in Bay Ridge.  For more information, contact Secretary Jonathan Judge at 718-360-9583 or visit www.brooklynyr.com.