Sen. Kevin Parker, middle, with attendees on the Fireplace Discussion board East at 84th St. in Canarsie, Brooklyn.
Picture by Christopher Leon Johnson
In what was described as “a robust and fascinating night,” Brooklyn Sen. Kevin Parker hosted his first-ever Fireplace Discussion board in Brooklyn on Thursday, Feb.13.
On the discussion board, he met with native enterprise homeowners in an intimate setting to debate his imaginative and prescient as New York Metropolis’s subsequent comptroller.
The occasion, which happened on East 84th St. in Canarsie, Brooklyn, “highlighted Parker’s in depth expertise, financial methods, and unwavering dedication to monetary transparency and small enterprise advocacy,” Kamla Karina Millwood, the Vincentian-born writer, motivational speaker, style mannequin, and entrepreneur who served as Mistress of Ceremonies, instructed Caribbean Life.
“The Fireplace Discussion board, a primary in a collection of upcoming occasions, allowed entrepreneurs and neighborhood members to have interaction straight with the senator, discussing the challenges they face and the options he envisions to strengthen financial alternatives throughout New York Metropolis,” Millwood stated.
“All through the night, Parker emphasised his confirmed management, fiscal experience, and dedication to making sure accountable allocation of metropolis funds to drive financial development and stability,” she added.
Parker, who switched from vying for Brooklyn Borough President to Metropolis Comptroller, stated his precedence can be “to guard taxpayer {dollars}, help small companies, and guarantee monetary accountability in each sector of our metropolis’s economic system.
“This place requires not solely monetary experience but additionally a deep understanding of the wants of our communities,” stated the consultant for the twenty first Senate District in Brooklyn. “I am prepared to steer and ship actual outcomes.”
Millwood stated enterprise leaders attended the occasion, who have been “all wanting to study extra about Parker’s financial plans.”
She stated among the many notable attendees have been Ross Williams from the Marketing campaign Staff, Petula Jarvis-Hanley, Donatella C., Yessenia Buzzele, Calvin Sennon, the Trinidadian-born co-owner of TriniJam BK Restaurant in Canarsie, and Cliff Roye, proprietor of Cool Tech Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. LLC.
“Attendees praised Parker’s direct strategy and willingness to take heed to enterprise homeowners’ issues,” Millwood stated. “Many left the occasion with a renewed optimism about the way forward for New York’s monetary oversight.”
“Sen. Parker didn’t simply communicate tonight — he listened, suggested, and demonstrated precisely why he’s essentially the most certified candidate for this function,“ Millwood quoted one enterprise proprietor as saying.
Millwood stated the night was “only the start of what guarantees to be a collection of Fireplace Boards, every geared toward fostering direct conversations between Sen. Parker and the communities he seeks to serve.”
She stated future occasions will proceed to give attention to “financial empowerment, fiscal duty, and alternatives for enterprise development beneath Parker’s management.
“With momentum constructing behind his marketing campaign, Sen. Parker’s bid for Comptroller is gaining vital help,“ Millwood stated. “His capability to attach with constituents and supply clear options for monetary challenges units him aside because the chief New York wants on this crucial function.”
A lifelong Brooklynite, Parker stated he has been a Flatbush resident for over 31 years – “nurtured, educated and employed within the borough.”
His twenty first District consists of many numerous communities: Flatbush, East Flatbush, Kensington, Ditmas Park, Midwood, Flatlands, Canarsie, Georgetown, Previous Mill Basin, Mill Basin, Bergen Seashore, and Marine Park.
A product of the New York Metropolis Public Faculty system, Parker attended P.S. 193, Andries Hudde I.S. 240, and Midwood Excessive Faculty.
He was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2002.
Because the particular assistant to former New York State Comptroller Herman Carl McCall, Parker stated he managed intergovernmental relations in New York Metropolis and was the liaison between the Comptroller, metropolis, state, and federal elected officers.
Earlier than taking workplace, Parker stated he was a New York Metropolis City Fellow and likewise served as particular assistant to former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger, legislative aide to former New York Metropolis Council Member Jamaican Dr. Una S.T. Clarke, the primary Caribbean-born lady to be elected to the Metropolis Council; and particular assistant to Meeting Member Nick Perry, the previous Jamaican-born consultant for the 58th Meeting District in Brooklyn, now serving as US Ambassador to Jamaica.
As challenge supervisor with the New York State City Improvement Company, Parker financed minority- and women-owned companies and promoted neighborhood enterprise redevelopment.
In 2001, Parker ran unsuccessfully within the Democratic Major for District 45 in Brooklyn and 2021 for New York Metropolis Comptroller within the Democratic main.
Parker obtained his Bachelor of Science diploma in public service from Penn State College, a Grasp’s of Science from the New Faculty for Social Analysis in city coverage and administration, and is at the moment pursuing a doctoral diploma in political science at The Graduate Heart, Metropolis College of New York (CUNY).
