Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso celebrates borough’s accomplishments
This year’s State of the Borough was held at the Brooklyn Museum, one of America’s oldest cultural institutions that remains hip by welcoming the adventurous. The same could be said for why the borough remains hip.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso centered his “State of the Borough” speech around Brooklyn’s welcoming nature and its variety. “And as we approach the 250th anniversary of America, I want to remind everyone that Brooklyn represents our country at its best. All roads lead to Brooklyn. Everyone belongs here.”
Reynoso shared his efforts that have made Brooklyn more affordable, safer, smarter, and more artist friendly.
To make living in Brooklyn more accessible to middle and lower incomes, he’s approved more than 12K affordable units.
In alignment with his goal to make Brooklyn the safest place in the city to have a baby he invested an entire fiscal year of Brooklyn’s capital budget ($45M) to renovate labor and delivery units at NYC Health + Hospitals: Woodhull, Kings County, and South Brooklyn locations.
“Over the last four years, we allocated more than $76 million to our schools, helping ensure that our students have the facilities and technology they deserve, no matter their zip code. That’s why, when the city tried to shut down four daycare centers in Brooklyn, including the one I went to as a child, we fought back. We rallied with teachers, parents, abuelos, and abuelas, to make our voices heard, and we won that fight to keep their doors open…because our communities are not disposable, and investing in our children matters,” said Reynoso.
Reynoso instilled the Arts Ambassador Initiative and created Brooklyn’s first Arts Ambassador, Colm Dillane of KidSuper. When one of Brooklyn’s most vibrantly creative celebrations was in danger of halting due to a lack of funds, Reynoso allocated funding to keep Coney Island USA’s Mermaid Parade afloat. It is set to return on June 20.
There was a creative element to this year’s State of the Borough. A competition was held to create a limited edition Brooklyn pin for 2026.
“Brooklynites of all ages, from every part of the borough, and all walks of life, submitted original designs for this year’s limited edition Brooklyn pin. Reviewing those designs made one thing very clear: the future of Brooklyn’s creative community is bright,” said Reynoso.
He brought the winner of the competition, Mellina Melezhik, to the stage to show her design. “Mellina is a high school student from southern Brooklyn, and the daughter of Ukrainian immigrants. Her design is shaped by that experience and serves as a reminder that Brooklyn’s story is still being written every day by the people who live here. Brooklyn belongs to everyone, and that means everyone’s story belongs in Brooklyn,” said Reynoso.
Before Reynoso took the stage, NYS Attorney General Letitia James and NYC Comptroller Mark Levine offered their words of admiration in introducing Reynoso.
The celebration’s energy was amped up at the start with a carnival performance from the JouvayFest Collective & 2 J & Friends.
Then The Star-Spangled Banner entered the room to deliver a reminder of the spirit of America. Students of the Brooklyn School for Music and Theatre sung the national anthem.
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