[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 196 (Friday, December 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        REMEMBERING ROBERT SIMKO

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2022

  Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of my longtime constituent Robert Simko, a true renaissance man and a 
beloved member of the Lower Manhattan community.
  Mr. Simko, co-founder of Lower Manhattan's long-running local news 
outlet The Broadsheet, passed away on November 10, 2022 at the age of 
68 after a years-long battle with a cancer that has been linked to 
exposure to toxic dust that hung over Manhattan in the aftermath of the 
September 11th attacks.
  An accomplished photographer, publisher, musician, mechanic and 
watchmaker, Mr. Simko was an admired figure in the Battery Park City 
Community and a beloved husband, father, brother and uncle.
  Born in 1954 in Bayonne, New Jersey, to John, a bus driver, and 
Florence, a nurse, Robert was the middle child of 5 siblings. He took 
up the accordion at a young age and later the piano.
  In college, he developed 2 other passions that lasted the rest of his 
life--photography and working on cars. After transferring from Rutgers 
University to the Rhode Island School of Design, he studied photography 
under Aaron Siskind and other leading photographers.
  Following his graduation, Mr. Simko moved to New York City, settling 
1st in Tribeca and then in Battery Park City at the brand-new Gateway 
Plaza, when it was surrounded by empty fields and Brookfield Place was 
under construction.
  Mr. Simko started working in New York as an assistant to 
photographers Arnold Newman and Burt Glinn, cataloging and printing 
their portraits of world leaders and celebrities.
  In the 1980s, Mr. Simko was recruited by Clay Felker to work as a 
photographer at Adweek magazine, where he began both his career in 
journalism and a lifelong partnership with a reporter named Alison.
  He and Alison married in 1987. Their daughter Lucy was born in 1989 
and their son Theo was born in 1997. That same year, Mr. and Mrs. Simko 
launched The Broadsheet, initially titled The Battery Park City 
Broadsheet. Since 1997, the Broadsheet has continued to cover Lower 
Manhattan in print, on its website, and as the 5-day-a-week Broadsheet 
Daily.
  A success from its 1st issue, the Broadsheet quickly became a fixture 
of the community and build a voice for the budding neighborhood. Mr. 
Simko's commitment to his beloved neighborhood and Lower Manhattan was 
legible in every edition.
  When the terrorist attacks on September 11th shook the world, our 
city, and his neighborhood, Mr. Simko stayed until late afternoon to 
capture the second plane's fireball, the burning towers, and the ash-
covered neighborhood following the towers' collapse. He, his wife 
Alison, and his team felt a sense of mission to quickly resume 
publication and write about conditions in the aftermath and the future 
of the community.
  When delivery workers were unable to enter Battery Park City, Mr. and 
Mrs. Simko personally delivered the Broadsheet to neighborhood lobbies. 
Residents cried when they saw the 1st issue after September 11th and, 
to this day, remember the Broadsheet as confirmation that the 
neighborhood would be okay.
  Tragically, Mr. Simko's cancer was linked to his exposure to 
environmental toxins during and after the attacks. The toll of the 
toxins and the subsequent illnesses they wrought to not only those who 
worked on the pile but also residents in my district like Mr. Simko who 
returned to their homes, cleaned up and revitalized this neighborhood 
laid bare the need for the Federal Government to provide survivors with 
quality health care and financial support. I was proud that after over 
a decade of fighting we passed the James Zadruga 9/11 Health and 
Compensation Act of 2010 and its reauthorization in 2015, and we 
created and fully funded the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund 
for survivors and responders.
  Mr. Simko is survived by his wife Alison, and their children Lucy and 
Theo, who continue to further his legacy through their continued 
dedication to the community, its culture and the Broadsheet.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to honor Robert Simko and his significant 
contributions to Lower Manhattan. Even in our darkest days, Mr. Simko 
was a beacon of light, who captured countless moments and helped weave 
our community together. He touched the lives of thousands of his 
readers and neighbors, and his legacy will be felt for years to come.

                          ____________________