Marnee Elias-Pavia: District Manager
Marnee Elias-Pavia is the Board district manager of Community Board 11 in Brooklyn, serving Bath Beach, Gravesend, Bensonhurst, and Mapleton. Ms. Elais-Pavia has worked in and served the community for over fifteen years.
Joeleen & Valerie: Tell me about yourself: how long have you lived in the neighborhood, some anecdotes from living in the neighborhood, etc.
Marnee Elias-Pavia: I am the District Manager of Community Board 11. I have held this position for over five (5) years, and prior to my appointment as District Manager, I was the Assistant District Manager. In total, I have served the community for over 15 years.
J &V: How would you characterize the neighborhood (Bensonhurst, the neighborhood surrounding Bay Parkway Station)?
Elias-Pavia: Over the past 15 years, our community’s demographics have shifted from a primarily Italian American neighborhood to a melting pot that is representative of NYC. Today, Bensonhurst is still called home by a large immigrant population. The demographics are approximately 34% Asian, 13% Latino and 52% white. The top five (5) ethnicities are Italian, Chinese, Russian, Mexican and Arabic.
J & V: How has the neighborhood changed?
Elias-Pavia: Bensonhurst ranks as one of the safest communities and has been ranked #4 citywide. We have great schools, numerous parks and easy access to the parkway.
J & V: What are some major issues that the neighborhood faces? What are its best features?
Elias-Pavia: There is very low commercial vacancy and there is a variety of shopping to serve the local community. The stores primarily consist of banks, restaurants and mom and pop food stores. The sidewalks are always crowded with shoppers especially between Bay Parkway and 23rd Avenue, which is where most of our fresh fruit and vegetable store are located. Along this strip you can find stores that sell a variety of foods from Dim Sum to tamales! Some of the ongoing issues that we face relate to quality of life and infrastructure. Street cleanliness is always a concern and with past budgetary constraints litter basket collections have been reduced. Graffiti removal is an ongoing process, and we would like to see it removed quicker, and finally, this corridor is in desperate need of resurfacing. This has been a priority for the board and we expect it to be done this paving season.
J & V: How do you see the demographics of Bensonhurst changing in the future? Is there a trend towards increasing diversity? Are there tensions between different nationalities and/ or religious groups or would you characterize this community as generally tolerant toward one another? Give examples if possible.
Elias-Pavia: It is my opinion that the demographics of most communities change over time. Bensonhurst has historically been an immigrant community. However, I cannot answer to future year shifts; I would assume that it would correlate with migration patterns. That being said, the demographic shifts in recent years in Bensonhurst could be attributed to property owners aging and retiring and and their children being priced-out, and a strong real estate market.
J & V: Census data suggests this to have an extremely high number of families. Why do you feel Bensonhurst is such a family oriented community and what makes it so attractive to perspective families?
Elias-Pavia: Community Board 11 will not tolerate racism in any form and will be the first to publicly denounce such behavior. We believe, that while our faces may not be the same and that we may pray in different ways, we are one community. We are not an Italian American community, Asian American community, Russian or Latino community, we are the Bensonhurst community.
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