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Restaurant review

The New York Steakhouse

2007 Emmons Avenue
718-616-0400

When most New Yorkers travel to oceanfront Brooklyn, they usually visit the legendary Coney Island, the iconic boardwalk, or culture-filled “Little Odessa” (which we all know as Brighton Beach).

Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to convene a Charter Revision Commission has many community board members shaking in their boots as they speculate about their future -- or lack thereof.

Board members say that the Bloomberg administration intends to restructure term limits for local politicians, divesting board members of their zoning rights, and perhaps even pushing for complete elimination of the public advocate’s and borough president’s offices.

The organization, with its mission in its name: Save Coney Island, was founded in the spring of 2008 as the first group to respond to the city’s interest in redeveloping the area that has come to be known as “the playground of the world.”

With the recent speculation surrounding the upcoming Charter Revision and its effect on the existence of community boards, it may be easy to forget that once upon a time community boards were given power, rather than stripped of it. In fact, less than 40 years ago, the City used to create opportunities for local representation – but those days are long gone.

The Parks Department’s decision to renovate the boardwalk using concrete decking may have shocked the Brighton Beach and Coney Island residents, but not public officials. In fact, many local representatives feel that a major renovation is inevitably needed – even if it means turning the iconic boardwalk into concrete-walk.

“It has been glaringly clear for several years that the state of Coney Island's famed boardwalk is atrocious,” said Congressman Jerrold Nadler. “As such, a massive overhaul of the boardwalk is long overdue.”