Here from Craig Hammerman, District Manager of Brooklyn's Community Board 6, a tribute to the late Bob Guskind, founder of the blog, Gowanus Lounge. Hammerman is also a candidate for City Council in the 39th District.

 

I remember when Bob Guskind introduced himself to me a few years ago after a Community Board meeting.  The first thing I asked him, which I now ask all serious bloggers, was how do you make a living doing it?  He laughed and explained that unless you set yourself up to receiving advertising money, it wasn’t an easy feat.  And there’s pretty fierce competition for the advertisers.

 

Over
time, and dozens of community meetings later, I came to learn that Bob
made his living writing for Curbed, and that provided enough (though
just barely) for him to pursue his avocation, writing the Gowanus
Lounge.  I enjoyed GL tremendously as a source of information, venue for opinions, and even for its entertainment value.  I
particularly loved the sidewalk sofa pictures; I remember one great
photo that showed how someone creatively set up some eclectic seating
inside one of the City’s bus shelters.  Priceless stuff!

 

Like any great artist, Bob was passionate about his work.  Blogging was his medium; a blinking cursor his blank canvas.  What I admired most about him was his dedication to getting “it” right.  He was an utter professional in that regard.  He wanted to understand it, so he could write about it, and help explain it to others.  We were kindred spirits in that regard as I, too, am in the business of accurately disseminating information to the public.

 

Probably
the moment that touched me most was when Bob decided to post an
announcement on GL when I was inducted into the New York City Hall of
Fame a couple of years ago.  In return for this
act of kindness, I made a point of attending the Brooklyn Blogade last
year at the Brooklyn Lyceum that was organized by my friend and Bob’s
fellow blogger, Louise Crawford.  Bob was one of the featured speakers on their panel of bloggers.  I wanted to show my respect to Bob and these local blogging giants.  And, finally, I’d get to sit back and listen to him talk.

 

I
hope someone picks up the mantle where Bob left off and dedicates
themselves to covering issues in the Gowanus community the way he did.  If
ever there were a community in need of coverage, if for no other reason
than to protect its neighborhood character and uniqueness, it would be
Gowanus.

 

The blogosphere is a bit quieter and emptier without Bob in it.  I miss him already.