OpEd: Brooklyn Can Turn
Congestion Pricing Into A Win

Promoting Brooklyn as the Destination

Congestion pricing imposes tolls on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, but here’s the good news: Brooklyn businesses have a golden opportunity to attract customers who want to avoid fees while enjoying world-class dining, shopping, and cultural experiences.

As your next Brooklyn Borough President, I will work tirelessly to ensure that businesses in every Brooklyn neighborhood—from Brownsville to Bay Ridge, Flatbush to Williamsburg—thrive under this new reality. My plan includes:

• Promoting Local Restaurants: Brooklyn’s diverse food scenes are second to none. From Caribbean cuisine in Crown Heights to Italian fare in Bensonhurst and vegan dining in Bushwick to our fabled Chinatown, there’s no reason to leave the borough for a great meal. 
• Highlighting Retail Hubs: Brooklyn has vibrant shopping districts, from the boutiques of DUMBOto the iconic Fulton Mall to our many economic corridors. These businesses deserve support and recognition as alternative & primary destinations to Manhattan’s crowded shopping districts
• Showcasing Cultural Institutions and Destinations: Brooklyn is home to world-renowned museums, theaters, and cultural hubs, like the Brooklyn Museum, BAM, and Prospect Park. To expand our cultural footprint, we must also highlight treasures like the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Weeksville Heritage Center, and the Jewish Museum. We will highlight our amazing local organizations who keep the culture rooted & future driven. These institutions deserve to be on everyone’s must-visit list.

Plus the WNBA Champs, NY Liberty, are in Brooklyn.  

Supporting Small Businesses and Reviving Brooklyn Tourism

As Borough President, I will seize this opportunity to tap into our small businesses and further expand King County’s tourism industry. By supporting these businesses, we can increase the vibrancy of our local economy while creating new jobs and opportunities.

Additionally, I will push the new City Comptroller to truly utilize Economically Targeted Investments (ETIs) for small businesses — traditional and digital. These investments are essential tools for driving economic development and ensuring that Brooklyn’s entrepreneurs have the resources they need to succeed.

A Strategic Partnership with Businesses

My vision as Borough President is to form strategic partnerships with businesses across Brooklyn. This means working directly with local chambers of commerce, neighborhood associations, and small business owners to create marketing campaigns that amplify Brooklyn’s appeal.

We’ll use social media, digital advertising, and grassroots outreach to spread the word: You don’t need to pay a congestion fee to experience the best that New York City has to offer—because Brooklyn has it all.

Brooklyn’s Strength and Innovation

Brooklyn has always been winning, and we will continue to win even if they change the rules. When challenges arise, we meet them with creativity and determination. The MTA wants congestion pricing? Fine. We’ll turn it into a reason for people to explore our incredible neighborhoods and support our local businesses.

Brooklynites are strong, innovative, and resourceful. I’m confident that together, we can use this moment to showcase everything that makes our borough extraordinary.

Supporting All of Brooklyn

As your next Brooklyn Borough President, I am committed to ensuring that every neighborhood—from the bustling streets of Downtown Brooklyn to the quiet corners of Marine Park—gets the support it needs to thrive.

Brooklyn is more than a borough; it’s a lifestyle. We are a community of dreamers who do. Let’s turn this challenge into an opportunity to uplift our businesses, celebrate our culture, and show the world what Brooklyn can do. We don't need Manhattan. Respectfully!

Join the #BrooklynVested Movement

Khari Edwards
Candidate for Brooklyn Borough President