These Dems traded their signature blue for red and green!
Local Democratic leaders recently came together to celebrate the holiday season at a soiree at Gravesend’s Metropolitan Ballroom.
Members of the Brooklyn Independent Democrats political club hosted a who’s who of powerful people from the borough and beyond at their annual holiday party on Nov. 28, including judges, council members, district leaders, Borough President Adams, and even Mayor DeBlasio, who dropped by to shake some hands before he went to light the tree at Rockefeller Center on the distant isle of Manhattan.
The yearly bash is the go-to political event of the season in all of New York City, according to its organizer, who said it brings together movers and shakers for a night of casual conviviality.
“It’s got a reputation of being the best political party in the city,” said Lori Citron Knipel, the district leader for the state’s 44th Assembly District encompassing neighborhoods including Park Slope and Windsor Terrace, who has staged the get-together for almost 20 years. “It’s a good way for people to network and to meet each other.”
One do-gooder from Canarsie who attended said she appreciated the opportunity to hobnob with the local luminaries that packed the Shell Road venue for the event.
“You could discuss whatever you wanted with whomever, and you didn’t have anybody hanging over your shoulder,” said Dr. Judy Newton, president of the Newton Foundation, which helps in-need families secure basic necessities such as food and access to transportation.
Newton praised Citron Knipel for the effort she makes each year to put the party together, saying that the bash’s singular appeal is a direct result of its organizer’s hard work.
“It’s always a quality affair, everybody pays homage to Lori, she’s a fantastic human being and works really hard and knows who everyone is,” she said.
