Political and community leaders yesterday urged Mayor Bloomberg not to shut down Brooklyn firehouses as he grapples with a massive budget gap.
Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D-Bushwick) complained that five of the eight houses proposed for closure by Bloomberg administration officials are located in the north and central parts of the borough.
“We, as a community, have been doing more with less for a long time,” Reyna said. “We are just starting to see economic growth in north Brooklyn, and we’re taking three steps back.”
Joining Reyna for a press conference in front of a Bedford-Stuyvesant firehouse being considered for closing were Councilmen Al Vann and Bill de Blasio and Borough President Marty Markowitz.
John Kelly, a firefighters-union trustee, warned that Bed-Stuy would suffer if the firehouse on Bedford and Myrtle avenues is shut.
“If they close this company down, the surrounding area, which has doubled in population, . . . [will be] at risk,” Kelly said.