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By Colin Mixson
Brooklyn Daily
Brooklyn’s republican leaders paid wined and dined on El Caribe’s finest at the annual GOP bash, the Abraham Lincoln dinner, and, no matter who you asked, there were two things everybody agreed on — the salad was amazing and John Catsimatidis is going to be New York City’s next mayor.
“Catsimatidis is not a bureaucrat,” said Republican Kings County chairman Craig Eaton at Thursday night’s bash. “He’s a man who came to this country with very little and made a success of himself across multiple industries … that’s why I’m proud to give John Castimatidis my endoresment.”
It was a Grand Old Party down at Mill Island’s swankiest country club, where Michael Reagan, adopted son of Ronald, regaled the crowd as the evening’s keynote speaker.
Amid humorous anecdotes and nods to his father, Reagan urged the assembly of Kings County GOP to band together, refrain from petty infighting, and avoid the fate of those further east.
“We need to stop eating our young, stop all this infighting and, if we can’t do that, we’ll be the ones left in the ash heap of history, not the communists,” he told the crowd.
Ronald’s son made several erudite observations, mostly regarding his father’s legacy, but that didn’t stop him from stating the obvious.
“The liberals won’t go away,” he said. “They’re like termites.”
There was a good turnout at the bash, but if the evening is any gauge of the party’s grip on Brooklyn, it has seen better days.
“After [former state Sen. Robert] Dicarlo took over, everybody was united,” said Sal Calisa, a Staten Island businessman who’s been attending the annual Brooklyn dinner for more than 20 years. “There were so many people here then, the valets were parking cars in the street.”
Of all the members in attendance, perhaps the most venerable of all was the senior bartender, who has served the best Brooklyn’s Republican party has to offer for the past five years at the Lincoln Dinner. She judged the party, but gave it only a lukewarm appraisal.
“It’s ok,” she said.
Reach reporter Colin Mixson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.