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EditorialsThey%u2019re Here to StayThe advent oif the Court Street %u201c Columbus-Court%u201d festival coming on the heels ot the Atlantic Antic and heralding the approaching Brownstone Fair, is nothing short of cause for celebration. We mean more than celebration just for Columbus Day too. We mean celebration of the fact that anyone%u2019s thinking of massive street parties at ali; of the fact that where we had no festivals ten years ago, only a handful a few years ago, these street events have proliferated in the %u201c brownstone beft%u201d to the point where you can safely say they%u2019re here to stay.The festivals and fairs are an indication of economic and social well-being and growth; a sign of increased optimism and cooperation among merchants and residents alike- a signal that the neighborhood is ready to collectively s%u2019av both %u201c we care%u201d and %u201c we%u2019re proud%u201d . yThat local street fairs are bursting forth like veritable mushrooms after rain %u2014 or, perhaps closer to our citified hearts, like tow trucks after an accident - looks to us like another solid piece of evidence that our neighborhoods are more than just alive %u2014 they are lively.Off the Record b y Jen CinerLife%u2019s PressuresWhen the City Council last August rejected nominations submitted by the Mayor for two positions on the Conciliations and Appeals Board%u2014the Board which mediates landlord-tenant disputes%u2014Councilman Abe Gerges boasted that his vote was the swing vote that allowed the Council, for the first time in history, to reject a Mayoral nominee. Throughout the Council hearings on the two nominees, Robert Weaver and Jacob Ward, many testified that the two men, who were being appointed as tenant representatives, did not represent tenant interests. The Council%u2019s action, at the time, was hailed as a new sign of its growing independence as a legislative body, and the Fort Greene Councilman was waving a sign of victory.Well, we all have since learned that the Mayor, as he tells us each week, %u201c will not be intimidated.%u201d And sure enough, the Mayor went ahead and submitted the same names again.We also have since found out what we've known all along%u2014that the Council and most of its members will be intimidated. Easily. And sure enough last week, whenthe Council voted on the same names it had rejected a few weeks before, they were this time ratified. And how did Councilman Gerges vote? He voted for Ward and Weaver.Gerges has been walking the fence between clubhouse regular and activist neighborhood politics. Last December, he made a lot of enemies in the Council when he voted against the 50 percent pay raise the Council was trying to foist on itself and the public. Apparently, his bold action last August was another %u201c last straw.%u201d No more committee chairmanship? No more choice seats at the County dinner? No more judgeships? Its hard to imagine what kinds of pressures our public officials are under these days.Eye GlaciersIt appears that Brooklyn Congressman Leo C. Zeferetti is about to come out of the woodwork. Word has it that he is interested in landing a seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee%u2014that is, after he is elected from his pocket-borough district in Bay Ridge and South Brooklyn in November%u2014now that a committee seat is being left vacant with theretirement of Rep. Otis G. Pike from Suffolk County. Zeferetti has been sticking close to his desk and never going to sea during his four years in Congress, and has been sitting back quietly, voting right on the New York City loan bills, and voting far right enough to earn a Conservative Party endorsement. That, along with what appears to have become a routine Democratic primary victory, every two years makes Zef unbeatable in a district that has actually elected Republicans in the State Assembly and City Council.With New York holding the second largest delegation in Congress, there will be only one New York Congressman in Ways and Means%u2014Harlem Rep. Charles B. Rangel. It is believed that the House Democratic Caucus will be looking for another New Yorker, and Zeferetti, along with three others, is reportedly lobbying for the committee assignment. Also believed to be in contention are Thomas J. Downey of Suffolk, Stanley Lundine of Jamestown and James Scheurer, also of Brooklyn.Zeferetti%u2019s push is intriguing. What we have here may be the makings of another stalwart Congressman in the mold perhaps of J.J. Rooney, or John M. Murphy.Zeferetti is the only organization Democrat from Brooklyn in Congress%u2014if you count Fred Richmond as an independent, which many are loathe to do. He%u2019s got nowhere to go politically except in Congress, and he%u2019s not a lawyer%u2014so you can%u2019t expect him to be %u201c retired%u201d to the bench. And Zeferetti appears to be unbeatable, so there%u2019s plenty of time for him to wait around for some powerful committee assignment, even if he doesn%u2019t land Ways and Means. For those who like to watch glaciers, keep your eyes on Zeferetti. He%u2019s going to be in Washington for a long time.All In A NameAdd Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden to the list of names being mentioned for possible candidates for City Controller%u2014provided Harrison J. Goldin wins as State Controller in November. On the list already are Deputy Mayor Herman Badillo, City Council Finance Chairman Ed Sadowsky, and %u2014get this%u2014Brorough President Andrew Stein, who recently played David to Stanley Steingut%u2019s Goliath. Of course, in this case, Golden has the name going for him.Community ForumFour Star Project for Crown HeightsBY THELMA DAVISIt has been said that Crown Heights is declining, rapidly moving from a middle class to low income neighborhood. There is an increase in unemployment and in increase in neighborhood crime. Burned out and abandoned buildings are becoming more commonplace. To make matters worse, there is much apathy among politicians and residents alike.Crown Heights, however, is really a beautiful, vital community with an array of nationalities and religious sects. Its numerous architectural facades are very picturesque. With these thoughts in mind and the determination to create positive changes, a small section of Crown Heights decided it was time to combat the malignancy that has infiltrated the community.Thus, the Four Star Block Association, Inc. on Prospect and St. Marks PlaceThelma Davis Is a resident of CrownHeights and Director of the Four StarBlock Association.between Brooklyn and New York Avenues, under the guidance and preseverance of its benevolent President, the late Arthur Millar, started a community center which now has ten employees hired with Federal funds under the Comprehensive Education and Training Act.A LOT OF WORKIt took a lot of work. First a proposal was written; then for a year we worked to get it funded. It meant trips to Albany and City Hall and we even demonstrated to get what we thought was necessary.We now have four security workers, who patrol the neighborhood on foot during the hours that crime to persons and property is most severe. They also serialize residents%u2019 valuables and register them with the Police Precinct, conduct seminars on safety precautions and have established a Blockwatcher system and they recruit volunteers.At the same time, we have four other projects going on to which community workers are assigned: to increase occupational opportunities for the youths in the community, to provide added social service to Senior Citizens, to establish a food cooperative and to work towards a rejuvenation of Brower Park.The Four Star Block Association started the Brower Park Commission. We meet at the Childrens%u2019 Museum located in Brower Park and in close cooperation with the Department of Parks and Recreation, Community Planning Board #8, Pratt Center and other Block Association we work on a $1,400,000 redesign of the park. It will include handball and tennis courts, planting of shrubs and flowers and to stop the erosion. We hope that work will start in 1979. The projects mentioned above are just a minute part of what a concerned group can accomplish in any geographical area.EVERYONE HELPSEven one individual can help reverse the deterioration that plagues Crown Heights. One of the major reasons why politicians are neglectful in section of this area is the limited amount of registered voters. TheInklings b y G e n o S u c h m aFour Star Block Association is making every endeavor to correct this situation with voter registration drives. If the residents desire positive changes in the community of Crown Heights than everyone who is eligible to vote must vote.Because of the fiscal crisis in New York City, there is a shortage of public services. If this is so, then residents must get out and do the work. Residents can sweep the sidewalks, bag their garbage, and stack it neatly.They can establish Civilian Volunteer Patrols or Tenant Patrols with the help of their Police Precinct. Residents can write their Community Planning Board and their elected officials asking that abandoned or burned out buildings be sealed or demolished. Parents can instill in the minds of their children at an early age, not to destroy property and so destroy their community.The suggestions cited cost very little and the benefits are tremendous. We hope that residents in Crown Heights make it their priority to get involved and create better living conditions for themselves.I'M INQUIRING PHOTOGRAPHER,%u2019. mU)HAT SHOULD8e Dowe AGot/r all-rue Rotted eggs iru the G a A?\ARE TH%u00a3R%u00a3 A LOT o'_ROTTEN E G G S iM I N %u2019 GS.h?.X TtUNfc- W6 SHOULDStop suvin' thuslC o o k e s .../ r \\$Page 10, THE PHOENIX, October 5,1978