At 27, John Heyer is the youngest of the City Council candidates for the 39th District, but in many ways he's an old soul. The only candidate born in the district, Heyer is a fifth generation Carroll Gardener, who has been involved in local politics since he was 14-years-old and has a deep interest in the history of his neighborhood.

I met John and his wife, Maria, for breakfast last week at Joe's Coffee Shop, an institution in Carroll Gardens and a great place to run into long time locals. John, of course, knew practically everyone in the place and our conversation was punctuated with greetings to neighbors and friends.

Knowing his neighborhood past and present is key to Heyer's candidacy and who he is. Last year, he even  helped to curate an exhibition about Carroll Gardens for the Brooklyn Historical Society. He is currently planning a tour of the neighborhood's mom and pop shops, a chance to share his intimate knowledge of local history. 

He and his wife are currently buying a house in Carroll Gardens, moving out of the family apartment building where he grew up with his parents and grandparents. "I had a nightmare last night that I was stuck in the middle of the woods," he told me. "I think that was about my fear of not being able to get the house."

Heyer attended Xavarian High School in Bay Ridge and caught the political bug when he worked for Assemblywoman Joan Millman and the late Assemblywoman Eileen C. Dugan in his spare time. He cites them both as mentors and strong influences. 

At Fordham University, Heyer studied political science and theology and considered going to divinity school after college. He says he likes theology almost as much as he likes politics and devotes a great deal of time to service at his church, Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen, where he mentors kids in the Sacred Heart Youth Program.

But there was the tug of politics and public service he learned working with Millman and Dugan. Heyer briefly considered law school but decided instead to become a certified funeral director. He currently oversees 160 funerals a year at the Scotto Funeral Home, owned by Buddy Scotto, founder of the Carroll Gardens Neighborhood Association, an important figure in local politics. 

I, of course, was fascinated to hear what it takes to become a funeral director.

"You learn about cosmetology, anatomy, chemistry, embalming, bereavement psychology, small business and accounting," Heyer told me about his studies in a program associated with St. John's University.

Heyer, who was wearing a dark suit because of a funeral later in the day, is serious about his work at Scotto's. "It's not just the business of the dead, it's about the living and you have to be sensitive."

At the age of 23,  Heyer got the call from Borough President Marty Markowitz that changed his life. For nearly four years he has been assistant to Markowitz, a job that has taught him "how government works." While he doesn't agree with Markowitz about everything, Heyer does have great respect for his boss and firmly believes that Marty's support of Atlantic yards is not cynical. "He really thinks it's good for Brooklyn."

I asked Heyer what he thinks about the controversial project: "Certain aspects are too large. But I do think Brooklyn should have a national team."

From Marty Heyer has learned the key to a certain kind of local politics. "Marty knows that politics is about presence. Look at his schedule. In June he attends 16 graduations a day. He is many people's one-on-one connection to government."

So, I asked Heyer, what qualifies you, at the age of 27, to be a city council member?

"I am an expert on the district.  I know where it's been and where it needs to go. I was born here, it's where I grew up."

But it's his youth, Heyer says, that enables him to relate to young families that are more and more making Carroll Gardens their home. Heyer's wife Mia, is a lovely young woman, who works as a kindergarten teacher in Kensington, and is a member of Community Board 6. There's also a baby on the way.

Heyer like many of the candidates says that he's an advocate for livable neighborhoods. I asked him to specify because the phrase gets bandied about all the time.  "Livable means to keep each neighborhood distinct. A neighborhood isn't about brownstones, it's about characters."

Affordable housing is another buzz word that Heyer, like most of the other candidates, uses frequently. "There should be a place for everyone who wants to be here." Later he tells me: "No one one should want to move away. No one should have to move away."

He also wants to bring industry back to the Gowanus. "If we want industry we have to be smart about it. Small artisan businesses. Look at the Brooklyn Navy Yard."

So what about Superfund status for the Gowanus? I got the feeling that Heyer is suspicious about it and not sure why it has come up so suddenly. He also isn't really sure who actually pays for the clean up and wonders if it will mean more delays to the development of the area. (We spoke before the EPA community forum about Superfund status on April 14th and I'm curious how Heyer feels about the matter now).  

About the Toll Brothers luxury condos and townhouses? Heyer seems to like it. He's has some issues with it but likes the park, the residential element, and the inclusion of affordable housing.

Talking to Heyer you do  forget that he is only 27-years-old as he seems to have lived the history of Carroll Gardens from the immigrant days of his great grandparents to the 1970's when neighborhood activists like Buddy Scotto and others organized the first block associations to plant trees, revitalize the neighborhood and organize safety patrols.

From John, I learned about the four Brooklyn churches that were demolished because they were on the path of Robert Moses' BQE and the renaming of Carroll Gardens (named for Charles Carroll the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence).

By the end of breakfast I was fascinated by this amateur historian who has been working in politics since he was a teenager and is now a close associate of Marty Markowitz. Older than his years, Heyer is smart, enthusiastic and a strong proponent for preserving the character of historic neighborhoods.