Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso closed out a busy spring by committing $20,000 to rescue the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, days after rolling out a federal policy plan for Puerto Rico as part of his bid for Congress and weeks after using his 2026 State of the Borough address to lay out the priorities of his first term. The string of announcements, spanning capital investments in health care, schools and accessibility, cultural programming and a congressional campaign, sketched out an unusually wide agenda for an official who is now seeking higher office.
On Wednesday, May 20, Reynoso’s office announced $20,000 in funding for Coney Island USA to close the financial gap threatening this year’s Mermaid Parade, the borough president’s office said. According to the advisory, financial burdens had put the June parade at risk of cancellation, and Reynoso’s office said the funding closes that gap to ensure the event goes on. Reynoso committed to saving the tradition at his State of the Borough address, his office said, and his office linked to Brooklyn Paper coverage reporting that the parade’s funding had been secured. Reynoso pledged to fund the parade $20,000 every year for as long as he is borough president, the Brooklyn Paper reported, which also reported that the 44th Mermaid Parade is set for Saturday, June 20. The announcement was made at Coney Island USA on Surf Avenue.
Two days earlier, on Monday, May 18, Reynoso’s congressional campaign said he joined Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and Puerto Rican advocates at the AM:PM Gallery in Williamsburg to announce what the campaign described as a comprehensive federal policy plan for Puerto Rico. According to the campaign, the plan is rooted in self-determination, economic justice, democratic governance, environmental protection and public accountability for Puerto Ricans on the island and in the diaspora, and the campaign said that if elected to Congress, Reynoso would be a leader in advancing those policies. The campaign noted that New York is home to more than one million Puerto Ricans, one of the largest such populations outside the island, and said the NY-7 district was established to ensure Puerto Rican political representation and elected Velázquez, whom the campaign described as the first Puerto Rican member of Congress. Velázquez was in fact the first Puerto Rican woman elected to Congress, in 1992; Herman Badillo, elected in 1970, was the first Puerto Rican voting member of the House. Actress Rosie Perez, Churches United for Fair Housing Action, NY Communities for Change, El Puente and Power for Puerto Rico were listed as taking part. A livestream of the rollout was posted by the campaign on X.
The campaign rollout followed Reynoso’s 2026 State of the Borough address, delivered Thursday, April 16, at the Brooklyn Museum’s Beaux-Arts Court. His office said the borough president used the address to announce new initiatives and appointments, provide updates on ongoing efforts and highlight major accomplishments over the first term of his administration. The event was free and open to the public but was not livestreamed, according to the advisory. New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams were among those listed to appear, along with live performances.
Much of Reynoso’s spring was given over to capital announcements drawn from his Fiscal Year 2026 budget. On Tuesday, April 7, his office said the borough president went to NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health in East New York, on Pitkin Avenue, to announce a multi-million-dollar investment in infrastructure upgrades and patient-experience improvements at several Gotham Health locations across Brooklyn, with funding dedicated to pediatric care, women’s health and dental services, among other areas. His office said the investment builds on Reynoso’s commitment to closing disparate health outcomes, and that reporters would be able to tour a women’s health and pediatrics unit set to be renovated. Gotham Health CEO Michelle Lewis, Associate Medical Director Dr. Carl Kenel-Pierre and Senior Director Charmaine Roach Valentine were listed as taking part.
A week later, on Tuesday, April 14, Reynoso appeared at P396K on Chester Street alongside NYC Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels to announce a multi-million-dollar investment to expand sensory rooms at District 75 schools across Brooklyn, his office said. According to the office, the investment ensures that every elementary-aged District 75 site in Brooklyn currently without a sensory room will receive one. The office said District 75 schools provide specialized, individualized programs for students with significant challenges, including autism, cognitive delays, sensory impairments and emotional or multiple disabilities. Deputy Chancellor Christina Foti, of the Division of Inclusive and Accessible Learning, and District 75 Superintendent Dr. Keisha McCoy were listed as joining the announcement.
Reynoso’s accessibility investments extended to transportation. On February 5, his office said, the borough president joined leaders from HASC Center, community members and families for a ribbon cutting marking the center’s five new wheelchair-accessible vans, purchased with $564,000 in FY26 capital funding allocated by Reynoso. The vans will transport Brooklynites with developmental disabilities to medical appointments and recreational activities, his office said. “When we invest in accessibility, we invest in equity,” Reynoso said in the release, adding that reliable transportation lets Brooklynites with developmental disabilities travel to appointments, work and day programs and recreational activities “with dignity and independence.” HASC Center, founded in Midwood more than 60 years ago, provides residential, vocational, educational and clinical services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, the release said. HASC Center CEO Shmiel Kahn thanked Reynoso for the allocation, saying in the release that the vans empower individuals with special needs and enhance their quality of life.
The borough president also kept up a steady run of cultural and community events. In late April, his office said Reynoso and rapper Moses “Shyne” Barrow hosted a Young Men’s Mentorship Expo in East Flatbush on Saturday, April 25, held at University Hospital at SUNY Downstate in partnership with East Flatbush Village and Carribeing. According to the office, the expo was intended to support young men from East Flatbush with workshops on fatherhood and identity, financial literacy, employee rights and culinary job training, and Reynoso planned to present Barrow with a special honor marking the 25th anniversary of the rapper’s debut album. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, whose office confirmed he would join the expo at 11:30 a.m. before speaking at a Brooklyn Tech homecoming celebration, was among those listed to give opening remarks.
Earlier in April, on Saturday, April 11, Reynoso’s office said the borough president hosted a “Welcome Back to Brooklyn” celebration at the Williamsburg Community Center on Graham Avenue for New York Knicks player and Williamsburg native Jose Alvarado, honoring what the office described as his return to his birth city and his new chapter with the Knicks following a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. The office said the event brought together young people from across the borough with games, food and giveaways, and listed Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Council Member Jennifer Gutierrez, Grand Street Settlement CEO Robert Cordero and actor Rick Gonzalez among the attendees.
Reynoso opened the year with two events at Borough Hall tied to cultural heritage. On Wednesday, February 4, his office said he hosted a reception opening “Brooklyn’s Finest: Legends in Focus,” a photo installation honoring the borough’s role in hip-hop history and the photographers who documented it, curated for Black History Month by Jonathan Rheingold, co-founder of XXL and RESPECT. magazines and president of iD8 Studios. The office said the installation features work by photographer Jamel Shabazz, scenes from the 1998 “Greatest Day in Hip-Hop History” photoshoot, and Barron Claiborne’s portrait of The Notorious B.I.G., “The King of New York,” along with portraits of Jay-Z, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, M.O.P., Big Daddy Kane and Fab 5 Freddy. According to the office, the show remained on view at Borough Hall through the end of February, open to visitors weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “This Black History Month, we honor the Brooklynites who’ve played an important role elevating Hip-Hop into a global cultural force —from lyricists and producers to journalists, street artists, and the listeners who fuel this movement,” Reynoso said in the release. The opening included a moderated conversation and performances, with Fab 5 Freddy, Shabazz and others listed as participants. Images from the installation were posted by his office on Flickr.
Later that month, on Friday, February 27, Reynoso’s office said the borough president hosted a Lunar New Year celebration at Brooklyn Borough Hall Plaza to welcome the Year of the Horse with performances and food. The event was open to the public, the office said, and listed Council Member Susan Zhuang, Homecrest Community Services, Pure Dance Studio, Wonton Food, UA3, Time One Pharmacy and the Asian American Federation among the participants.
Federal money for Brooklyn housing also figured into the spring. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez’s office said she presented a $1,200,000 Community Project Funding check to the New York City Housing Authority on Friday, May 1, for the replacement of deteriorating rooftop water tanks at the Bushwick Houses. According to the advisory, the aging wood tanks have been prone to mold growth, vegetation buildup and animal intrusion, putting residents’ water supply at risk of contamination, and the project will include replacement of the tanks and related piping, pump controls and improvements to rooftop structures. Velázquez’s communications director, Michael McGinnis, flagged the check presentation to Bushwick Daily ahead of the event.
