Dems Celebrate at District Leader’s Annual Holiday Party

Democrats celebrated the season early when one local political insider held her annual holiday party, in the last days of November.

44th A.D. Democratic District Leader Lori Knipel welcomed guests at her annual event, held at the Metropolitan, 2555 Shell Rd., on Weds., Nov. 28.

Politicians from across the borough were among the attendees, including Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; City Councilmembers Chaim Deutsch, Kalman Yeger and Mathieu Eugene; and Assemblymembers Rodneyse Bichotte and Jo Anne Simon.

The star turn was provided by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who stopped by to greet guests before heading to Rockefeller Center to flip the switch on the city’s most famous Christmas tree.

“I’m proud to be a Brooklynite,” he told the crowd, adding, “I’ve been honored to be here many times.”

Talking politics, de Blasio picked up on a theme started by Knipel. “That was a blue wave,” he contended. “Some people said the wave’s not coming. Guess what — the wave showed up.”

Dems winning 39 seats in the state Senate is, “A game changer for the city, a game changer for the state,” de Blasio added. “In the House of Representatives, it was the biggest Democratic wave since 1974, after the Watergate crisis,” despite gerrymandering that, he noted, actually made it more difficult for Dems to win in many districts.

“I’m really really excited about what’s up ahead and about what the future is for New York City,” he went on. “The holiday season is a good time to take stock. This is now a city that’s safer and more prosperous than it’s ever been, where people are getting along a lot better than they used to, where the schools are getting better. We as New Yorkers have a lot to be proud of so let’s all be thankful this holiday season.”

“He’s a true friend, he’s a long friend, he’s a good friend,” noted Knipel. “It’s not easy to get the mayor to show up at anything especially local. But this is Brooklyn. His heart is here and we’re Brooklyn together forever.”