BIG SCREECHER: When Carmine has a breakfast, everybody shows up!

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By Carmine Santa Maria

Brooklyn Daily

I’m madder than an administrative secretary who had to bite her tongue while hearing her boss get showered with accolades after a successful event for all the hard work that she did making the event that he allegedly planned a success when everybody should have know that it was her all along, and he did nothing to deserve it, except hire her, which, clearly, was a smart decision.

Look, now that I’ve given everybody that helped plan the latest successful Community Education Council 21 and, of course, the Bensonhurst West End Community Council legislative brunch, I’m going to fill you in on just how awesome it — and, by association, me — was.

Now I don’t need to tell you that Kingsborough Community College is the jewel of the City University of New York, and that it was ranked as the third-best community college in the United States, and that it also happens to be the place that made me so smart, it being my alma mater and all.

So it is always my first choice each year when I sit down and figure out where I am going to hold my famous legislative brunch, and it was also the place I chose this year to have the said occasion.

Regular readers of this column all know by now that the purpose of these brunches isn’t just to fill my belly with bagels and cream cheese and locks and coffee and tea and chocolate milk and blintzes and cold cuts. It is really set up to get school folk and the legislatives together in an informal way so the school folk can tell their legislators what their schools desperately need in order for the children to have a safe, well-run school to further their educations so they can compete with their peers in third-rate nations who have already surpassed them.

So it is always my pleasure to welcome the likes of Councilman Domenic Recchia, who is the chairman of the council’s finance committee, and it makes everybody happy when he tells us that he personally designated $31 million in his tenure to improve the schools in District 21. Sadly, I must report that he has been term-limited-ated, and will no longer be our councilman. But he asked us that if he is elected to Congress (he’s running against Michael Grimm, a Republican on Staten Island who also represents Bay Ridge and parts of Bensonhurst) could we imagine how much federal money he could bring home to New York City’s schools. Well, I can’t imagine it, but I can tell you how much applause he got when he brought that up. Alot (which really should be one word, despite what my editor tells me).

Aside from the District 21 camaraderie there is at these annual spring brunches, there were also old friends such as Fred Maley of the School Construction Authority, who I knew when he was working for Councilman Sal Albanese 30-some-odd years ago and who, incidentally, just threw his hat into the race for mayor.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Carmine, who threw his hat into the race? Fred or Sal?” Well, I’ll tell you this: subject-object agreement is what separates us from lesser beings, such as dogs and Winebagos. Now figure it out for yourself.

To make a long story endless, Fred greeted me and said “Carmine, I was just reminiscing a few days ago and remembered when Mayor Koch was having a press conference in the Blue Room and you were there in your mailman’s uniform screaming question after question after question about co-terminality and getting the 62nd Precinct to cover your area of Bensonhurst. Finally, frustrated to the bone, Koch said ‘Carmine, who’s delivering your mail?’ ” We both broke up after that reminder. Another husband-and-wife team came over to mention that their daughter won first, second and third prize in BWECC!’s annual Project Learn ceremonies held there at Kingsborough.

Assemblyman William Colton, a former teacher, union rep, and close friend to District 21 announced that his office is always open to help out with problems (Full disclosure: I no longer work for Assemblyman Colton, so I no longer have to fully disclose that he is my boss.). Yoketing Eng, Community Education Council president welcomed former District 21 superintendent Ethel Tucker. Isabel DiMola, District 21 superintendant, thanked Mary Montemarano, the council’s administrative assistant for these wonderful brunches that accomplished so much in getting badly needed funding for the school and children.

Certificates of Appreciation were given to all the elected officials or their representatives. The chorus from PS 100 received a standing ovation after its performances. Gotta hand it to Mary, she ordered enough breakfast to feed the entire district, and I was happy as a lark consuming it! Also, gotta thank Maureen Daly for her tremendous help!

Screech at you next week!

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