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August 3, 2008
This week in history...
Although Marty Markowitz is big on unions now, this was not always the case. Before becoming the illustrious Brooklyn Borough President, Markowitz was the State Senator that the Times described as "the only politician in the city who deliberately seeks to entertain." His favorite form of flamboyance, then as now, was free concerts. And what better way to keep costs down for the corporate sponsors?
To keep costs down, Mr. Markowitz persuaded the state to dispatch prison inmates to set up the stage for each concert.
Perhaps this practice would have gone unnoticed, until tragedy struck in 1990:
At Wingate Field six years ago, the rhythm-and-blues singer and composer Curtis Mayfield, best known for the hit title track from the movie "Superfly," severely injured his spine when a windstorm blew over a lighting tower and part of the stage collapsed.
But the important thing is that no egos were injured in the incident:
Mr. Markowitz said attendance did not suffer at concerts after the incident, but added that he lost a corporate sponsor and that Mr. Mayfield, who is paralyzed from the neck down, sued his insurance company.
On August 11, 1996, the vice president of Local 4 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees voiced his displeasure to the Times:
As a stagehand who lives and works in Brooklyn, I was outraged about your piece on Senator Markowitz. The stage and light tower collapse that permanently disabled Curtis Mayfield has never failed to upset me and many of my co-workers.Mr. Markowitz's hiring practices should be examined closely. Brooklyn has some of the finest stage technicians in the country represented by Local 4 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Marty Markowitz has refused to hire Local 4 workers.
Instead, he chooses to take risks with the safety of the performers and audience by employing amateurs -- prison inmates -- to perform highly skilled jobs.
Rigging and setting up an outdoor show with electric lights and sound on tall steel towers requires skill and experience. The competent women and men of Local 4 have the experience and they are right in Marty's backyard along with all of his other constituents.
THOMAS PAULUCCI
Brooklyn Heights
Posted by amy at August 3, 2008 10:23 AM