Day: August 18, 2025

Inside Government with PoliticsNY is new a Q&A series that gives New Yorkers a glimpse inside the role of the elected officials who represent them. This edition of Inside Government with PoliticsNY features New York State Assembly Member Alec Brook-Krasny. Assembly Member Brook-Krasny represents the 46th Assembly District in Brooklyn which includes the neighborhood of Bay Ridge and Coney Island. 

Q: What piece of legislation are you most proud to have passed this legislative session?

A: I was honored to cosponsor the Recover-Ready Workplace Act (A.521), aimed at reducing workplace stigma around substance abuse and mental health. The bill allows businesses to earn “recovery-ready” status by adopting policies like peer support training, connecting employees to treatment, and hiring individuals in recovery. We passed this legislation in both the Assembly and Senate, and I’m hopeful Gov. Hochul will sign it into law to support recovery efforts across New York State further.

Q: How does your office work to support your constituents in their day-to-day lives?

A: New York State agencies impact many aspects of New Yorkers’ daily lives. As a state-elected official, I work to ensure these agencies operate with diligence and accuracy. When constituents face issues, whether it’s confusion over an unemployment claim or a denied tax benefit, my staff and I act quickly to resolve them. My team takes pride in tackling even the most complex problems and will assist with city-level matters to support NYC residents whenever needed.

Q: What is the most prevalent issue facing your constituents and how are you working to resolve it?

A: The issues my office resolves are wide-ranging and often complex. A typical case involves excessive fees resulting from missed tolls or violations, where inadequate notification led to steep penalties. We contact agencies to mediate and reduce the amount owed. We’re also researching legislative solutions to improve state debt notifications. Another frequent issue is SNAP benefit theft, which heavily affects older New Yorkers. We work diligently to help protect against fraud and recover stolen benefits.

Q: What do you hope to accomplish by the end of 2025?

A: I’ve been working with Assembly Members Michael Novakhov, Daniel Norber, and Lester Chang on a proposal (A.5141) to bar individuals with ties to terrorist organizations, including Hamas, from holding government jobs or appointed positions in New York State. This common-sense legislation would help protect the integrity of our state workforce. We’re committed to advancing this initiative and hope it reaches the Assembly floor for a vote when session resumes in January.

Q: What is the proudest moment of your political career?

A: While I’ve had many proud moments in my career, my greatest honor is being the first Soviet-born, Russian American in the New York State Assembly. Since immigrating to the U.S. in 1989, I’ve dedicated myself to public service and improving lives across New York. Having lived under both authoritarian and democratic governments, I understand the dangers of radical ideologies and believe firmly in protecting personal freedom, liberty, and our nation’s spirit of building and progress.

Monjmaa Sanoh, who recently graduated from Uncommon Charter High School, is spending her summer far away in the woods of Maine, very different from the bustle of Crown Heights.

Before heading to Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the fall to study architecture, Sanoh is spending this summer at Camp Uncommon in Otisfield, Maine, where she is serving as a camp counselor.

It’s an opportunity for her to give back to the camp that gave her so much when she was younger, growing up in Brooklyn. 

She was 10 years old when she first attended Camp Uncommon over the summer and fell in love with it – spending the next three summers there, including a virtual camp during the pandemic in 2020.

“I came back as a counselor because I wanted to give the same experiences I had to new kids,” Sanoh said.

Now in its 10th year, Camp Uncommon serves over 500 campers annually, predominantly Black and Brown children from under-resourced communities who attend Uncommon Schools’ campuses in Brooklyn as well as Rochester, N.Y., Newark and Camden, N.J., and Boston.

For 10 days, campers get to do all the fun activities found at typical sleepaway camps, including flag football, soccer, kickball, basketball, arts and crafts, tennis, pickleball, theater, dance, lake swimming, and of course, campfires. 

But Camp Uncommon is more than just a summer getaway, said Mike Callahan, the Director of the camp. Every day, campers take part in values-based activities that focus on increasing their independence, curiosity, and self-confidence, he said. The camp also hosts community meetings in the morning and evening, called Morning and Evening Summits. 

“It’s a transformative experience that supports the academic, social, and personal development of students in powerful ways,” Callahan said. “Camp Uncommon provides campers with a safe, joyful space to grow into their best selves. At camp, kids also learn to trust and be open to new experiences and new people.”

Callahan shared that the camp encourages campers to step outside their comfort zones, whether it’s trying a new activity, speaking up in a group, or being away from home for the first time. 

“These moments help campers realize they are capable of more than they imagined,” Callahan said.

Qa’Sani Pena, 14, who will be starting her freshman year at Uncommon Charter High School in Brooklyn, has been going to the camp for the last six years. She said when she first went to camp, it was her first time being away.

“I was really scared,” she said. “It was kind of hard for me to make new friends.”

But now Qa’Sani said she feels like camp is her second home. When she sees fellow campers in Brooklyn, she said it puts a smile on her face.

“Going to this camp changed me,” Qa’Sani said. “The camp really taught me to learn how to trust people, and to, you know, accept myself, and to learn how to accept others.”

Ethan Branch, 12, who is starting eighth grade in a few weeks at Uncommon Brownsville North Middle School, has been attending the camp for the last four years. When he first participated in the camp, he said he was shy.

“I didn’t feel very confident because I was a long way from home,” he said. “What I love most about Camp Uncommon is that they really make me feel like I’m at home.”

Ethan said the camp had the same feel as the fictional Camp Kikiwaka in the Disney hit series Bunk’d, which is set in Maine. “We were actually in bunks and had that in-the-woods experience.”

Camp Uncommon is also a space for many Uncommon alum and staff members to grow as leaders. On a leadership team of 12 staffers, nine are current or former Uncommon staff members, and four are alumni of Uncommon Schools.

Christum Noel, who serves as the Head of Camper Support, is the Dean of Students at Uncommon’s Williamsburg Elementary School. It’s his first year at Camp Uncommon, though he’s worked at other summer camps.

“This camp allows campers to experience more of a natural setting so they can get away from the electronics,” Noel said. “They can build bonds with each other in a more organic setting. They build bonds without using electronics.”

Noel said one of his goals is to help campers build key social-emotional skills to support their overall growth.

“This is their first time leaving and going away from home, and they are pretty far away from home, so that does bring a lot of tough feelings,” he said. “We work on being able to identify those feelings and what strategies work best for you when you are having those feelings.”

But Noel said he also focuses on having fun, too.

“With camp, I was able to get back into the camp mode and find ways to make things fun and engaging because they’re not at school,” Noel said, adding that the experience is especially rich for city kids who don’t often have the opportunity to spend time in nature.

“From the fresh air to swimming in lakes to being in nature, I feel like every city kid would definitely learn from this, and this would be a lifelong memory for them.”

To learn more about Uncommon Schools NYC click here. 

Investigators believe up to four shooters opened fire at Taste of the City Lounge after a dispute just before 3:30 a.m.

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