Charles Otey has promoted engagement, good citizenship in the community and the courthouse
The Bay Ridge Lawyers Association (BRLA) held its annual holiday party and judges’ night before approximately 100 spectators on Thursday, Jan. 16 at Sirico’s Caterers to honor a man whose list of accomplishments and service to his community run the gamut.
Charles “Chuck” Otey, Esq., is originally from a small steel town in West Virginia. Otey graduated Brooklyn Law School back in 1967 and was admitted to the New York Bar one year later. He was a member of the BRLA from 1968 through 2023 and was its president in 1996.

As for civic duty, Otey was secretary of the Bay Ridge Development Corp.; an officer, secretary and marketing director for the Merchants of Third Avenue from 1993 to 2023; a member of the Brooklyn Bar Association; and a member and president of the Bay Ridge Community Council.
Otey was also a columnist for the Home Reporter and Sunset News from 1962 to 2023, then for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 2002 to 2024.

At 86, Otey shows no signs of slowing down.
“This is so wonderful,” Otey said upon receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from BRLA. “So many of these people here are my good friends who I have known for so long. I feel seriously appreciated.”
Otey praised the BRLA and said, “There is no other neighborhood association in New York State like [it].”





Eagle photos by Mario Belluomo
Dozier Hasty, publisher of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, who introduced Otey and sponsored the night’s event, told the audience he is “in awe at [Otey’s] approach to community.”
“Chuck has managed to do such a wide variety of things since I’ve been associated with him throughout the years,” Hasty said. “I can’t believe how much he’s managed in terms of organizing associations and publicizing them so effectively in ways that help keep them alive and thriving. He is ‘Mr. Community’ here in Bay Ridge.”
Mario Romano, president of the BRLA, referred to Otey’s life’s accomplishments as “incredible.”




Ray Ferrier, the organization’s past president, said, “Because of Chuck’s promotion of the Bay Ridge Lawyers Association, we are one of the most renowned lawyers’ associations and maybe one of the most elite in all of Brooklyn.”
Former State Sen. Marty Golden, also in attendance, called Otey “a true leader.”
“We go back 60 years,” Golden said. “He was great at what he did, and he continues to be great.”
In addition to Otey, 12 judges were acknowledged. They included Hon. Joe Bova, Hon. Theresa Ciccotto, Hon. Vincent Del Giudice, Hon. Catherine DiDomenico, Hon. Bernard Graham, Hon. John Ingram, Hon. Sergio Jimenez, Hon. Donald Leo, Hon. Janet McFarland, Hon. Hemalee Patel, Hon. Alexis Riley and Hon. Chris Robles.




Eagle photos by Mario Belluomo
The BRLA, formed in 1954 by a group of local attorneys who wanted to meet and discuss various issues they were experiencing in the law field, now claims approximately 400 members.
“Our future plans for the organization include growing it,” said Romano, who has been part of the group since the 1990s. He continued, “They are always there for you if you need anything. It’s such a great bunch of people.”