Common Sense: David Ryan

The Brooklyn Conservative Party’s David Ryan was honored by the New York State Conservative Party at a reception in Albany last week. David received the J. Daniel Mahoney award for his longtime efforts on behalf of the conservative movement and the Conservative Party.
David is the secretary of the Brooklyn Conservative Party and has been active since 1992. He is also active in the Bay Ridge community serving as the vice chairperson of the 68th Police Precinct Community Council and as an officer of Ragamuffin.

Until recently, David was a reserve officer in the Army rising to the rank of major. He did three tours in Iraq and was decorated for valor as a result of his successful efforts to repel an attempt to overrun his base. His family has a tradition of serving our nation in the military. His father rose to the rank of colonel in the Army Reserve and to major general in the State Guard. His brother Stephen is currently an Army lieutenant colonel and another brother also retired as a major.

The reception was attended by many members of the legislature including State Senators Marty Golden and Simcha Felder. The Assembly was in session voting on its version of the state budget, so Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis was not able to participate in honoring her friend.

An interesting side note occurred when I was driving to Albany on that Monday morning with David. About half way up on the State Thruway, I noticed that the car directly in front of me was a classic GTO with the NYS license plate of 1.

That plate is reserved for the governor and in the past had only been seen on an historical vehicle that is used on the day of a governor’s inaugural. But there it was on the back of a GTO. Sure enough, I pulled alongside to see Governor Cuomo driving the GTO with someone (who I assume was a state trooper) in the passenger seat. David waved to him and he waved back. He was driving exactly at the speed limit. I was not and was soon a good bit ahead of him.

It is well known that the governor is a big fan of classic 1970s sports type cars and in particular GTOs. Normally, the governor would travel in a large SUV driven by the state police with a similar state police SUV trailing him. I did not see any SUVs that day, but when I got to Albany I asked a state police official familiar with the governor’s security and was told that when he drives his GTO, they shadow him but not so closely that it seems as though he is being trailed. Of course, with a license plate that reads 1, he is far from incognito.

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The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce led by Carlo Scissura was also in Albany last week lobbying for its legislative agenda and holding its annual Brooklyn Night event. The Chamber in the last few years has seen its membership more than double with the result being an incredibly diverse group consisting of everything from movie studios to chocolate producers.

Brooklyn Night, which is one of the most popular annual events, really highlights the amazing number of food products that have an original in our home town. It’s not just hotdogs, knishes, egg creams and cheesecake anymore. Brooklyn companies produce beer, wines, hard liquor, chocolates, all sorts of snacks and specialty products that are becoming known around the world. It really is a food artisan’s dream.

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The Brooklyn South Conservative Club chaired by Liam McCabe will be holding a Meet and Greet with Congressmember Dan Donovan at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30 at the Knights of Columbus at 86th Street and 13th Avenue. It is an excellent opportunity to meet the congressmember as well as the leaders of the Conservative Party in the community. The event is free.