Page 259 - Demo

Fired Borough Historian Just A MemoryBY JU D Y LiN SC O TTIt may come as a surprise to most people to learn that Brooklyn has been without a borough historian for the last six weeks. In fact, it may come as a surprise to most people that we had one at all.Well, now we don%u2019t have one.Dr. Joseph Palisi, who served as Borough Historian since 1973, was dismissed by Borough President Howard Golden in late July. Officially, Borough Hall says Palisi was dismissed because he wasn%u2019t a Golden appointee and %u201cIt was time for a change.%u201d Unofficially, however, according to a Borough Hall source, Palisi was dismissed because %u201che wanted a paid position with a full-time secretary and he was not being responsive when asked to do things as Borough Historian. His resistance was used almost as a pressure tactic. This had been going on and on for a long time.%u201dPalisi%u2019s contention is that he worked long and hard and that his dismissal was %u201cprobably a combination of personality and political problems.%u201d He says he never advocated that he be paid and that %u201c basically, Golden couldn%u2019t stand the fact that someone held a position subordinate to his own that was a holdover from the previous administration.%u201dBorough Historian is one of those vaguely defined jobs that has evolved as much on tradition as it has developed by statute. It is a job first mandated in the state education laws in 1919 and today it calls for a historian in each county, town, village and borough within cities of over 1 million population. The historian%u2019s job is to collect, preserve and interpret the history of the community. Thescope of the job is largely dependent upon the person who fills it and the appointing officer (in this case the Borough President of Brooklyn) according to Edmund Winslow of the State Education Department. Wilson added that %u201cthe only tradition of the job is that the historians serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer. and that normally, they are reasonably non-political people. Fifteeen to twenty year tenures aren%u2019t unusual.%u201dNevertheless, it is true that the borough president has the privilege of appointing the borough historian, and although borough historians are answerable and required by law to submit an annual report to the state historian, their tenure rests with the appointing officer.Palisi, a former St. Francis College professor who holds a full-tim e position with the Department of Social Security, was appointed borough historian by then Borough President Sebastian Leone in 1973, replacing James Kelley, who had served for 29 years and died %u201cin office.%u201dAlthough elsewhere in the state the position is sometimes salaried, it is not in New York City, and it is usually a part-time job, which has often been held for long periods of time, until death or resignation.Palisi, who also served as Chairman of the Brooklyn Bicentennial Comm ission, often devoted to that effort what his selected, also unsalaried assistant Eric Ierardi termed %u201c2 or 3 a.m. nights,%u201d while Palisi says he put in %u201croughly 12 to 15 hours a week, during evenings and weekends, in his capacity as historian.Although Palisi thinks that the position deserves to be full-timeand salaried, he never advocated that, he says, but did need the kind of cooperation he said never came from Golden or any of Golden%u2019s staff. He said he not only never had a secretary, but never had access to telephone equipment to monitor calls and that he operated without a budget, except for the Bicentennial Commission.Palisi charges that Golden kept a %u201cclosed door%u201d to him, in direct contrast to Leone, and also says that he was treated with disdain at Borough Hall and rebuffed on more than one occasion.%u201c Mr. G olden%u2019s predecessor never required me to undertake any sort of political role,%u201d Palisi said, adding, %u201cThe way I see it, Golden%u2019s approach is one of availing himself of Brooklyn%u2019s history for his own political ends.%u201d Palisi said that in one of the %u201cvery few%u201d meetings he had with G olden, the Borough President %u201csaid something to the effect that anybody who can%u2019t help insure him reelection is not pulling his weight around here.%u201dPalisi also said that Golden%u2019s %u201cpolitical ends%u201d approach was best manifested in %u201cGolden%u2019s use of the events related to the forthcoming 100th anniversary of theBrooklyn Bridge%u201d and \Borough H all restoration project.%u201dPalisi specifically cited a $353 a couple restoration fundraising dinner held early last June at the River Cafe, an event he said he knew nothing about until %u201cHarvey Schultz (G olden%u2019s Executive Assistant) mentioned it to me in passing. I told him I couldn%u2019t afford the price, and I was never invited. That%u2019s all I knew about it.%u201dSchultz said that the party netted %u201csomething around $25,000, none of which has been spent yet to my knowledge%u201d and is sitting in a Borough Hall Restoration Foundation account. The Foundation, he said, will get the Board of Trustees, a Board of Directors and officers %u201c this month, probably in the next few weeks. The Borough President hasn%u2019t really been able to appoint anyone because of the summer holidays.%u201dThe party, which Schultz said had been the oniy official restoration fundraising event held so far, was billed at the time as a %u201d 353rd birthday party for Brooklyn%u201d; was co-sponsored by such noteables as Congressman Fred Richmond, Democratic Leader Meade Esposito andLabor Leader Anthony Scotto; was chaired by Mrs. Robert Wagner, Sr.; was attended by political figures ranging from Harold Fisher to Robert Wagner, Jr.; and included Governor Hugh Carey as guest of honor. At the party, Carey and Mrs. Wagner were presented with %u201c highly valued\prints of Brooklyn%u2019s history.Schultz said that there will be other fundraisers after the Foundation Board is formed, that Borough Hall is in the process of applying for Federal Register status and that it will also file for public works grants, but that the %u201cseveral million dollar project%u201d will probably take %u201cat least three or four years%u201d since real plans haven%u2019t yet been drawn up. The cost figure, Schultz noted, %u201ccould change dramatically.%u201dMeanwhile, Brooklyn has no borough historian, and though a search committee \formed soon%u201d according to Borough H all, %u201c summer schedules haven%u2019t allowed us to get commitments from people.%u201d A spokesman for Golden said that %u201cwe had hoped to have a borough historian appointed by the second half of September, but I don%u2019t know if we will.%u201d Schultz said that of panel of %u201cnotable^ from local cultural and civic groups%u201d would be formed in %u201cthe next two or three weeks.%u201dBorough Hall spokesmen said that it is %u201cpossible%u201d that Palisi%u2019s name would be among those the committee would consider, but the likelihood of Borough Hall asking %u2014 or Palisi accepting %u2014 is next to nil.'1 would not serve under Mr. Golden at any capacity at any time,%u201d Palisi said last week. %u201cThat%u2019s short and to the point.%u201d\that someone held a positionthat was leftover from theprevious administration.%u201dN . Y . P. D.GRAVITY KNIFE APPEAREDFive men were arrested in the attempted robbery of Isla Supermarket, 139 Fifth Avenue, August 28 at 2:30 a.m. Police say George Vega, 19, of 37 3rd Street, Carlos Claudio, 17, of 234 Fourth Avenue, Wilfredo Echevarria, 19 of 5 Berkeley Place, Edwin Guzman, 21, of 88 Sackett Street and Jose Rivera, 19, of 17 Berkeley Place tried to break through the wall of the store and to cut through its locks with a bolt cutter. All five, who were arrested by Officers Golden and LaPorts of the 78th Precinct, were charged with attempted burglary, possession of burglar%u2019s tools and criminal mischief. Rivera and Claudio were also charged with possession of a gravity knife, Guzman and Echevarria were charged with possession of a dangerous instrument, and Vega with possession of a switchblade.FOUR COPS ATTACKED:Michael Connell, 32, of 205 Park Place allegedly threatened to hit four police officers with a stick, and then, when they tried to arrest him, assaulted the officers, causing their hospitalization. Officer Lou;s Petrella of the 78th Precinct finally was able to get Connell under control, and charged him with assault, resisting arrest and possession of a dangerous instrument for the August 28 incident, which occurred at 12:20 a.m. in front of 8 President Street.THIRD FLOOR ASSAULT: On August 26 at 7 p.m., Richard Renaud, 35, was allegedly assaulted in his third floor offico st 808Pacific Street by Albert Albrecht, 25, of 55-30 224th Street, Bayside, Queens. Police say Albrecht also vandalized the office, causing over $250 worth of damage. Albrecht was arrested the next day at 11:35 a.m. and charged with assault, possession of a dangerous instrument and criminal mischief. The arresting officer was Louis Celiberti of the 78th Precint.HELTER SHELTER: Officer Barbara Bumford of the 78th Precinct arrested two fourteen year old residents of a children%u2019s shelter at 150 South Portland Avenue August 27 at 7:30 a.m. The two had allegedly taken property and keys from their shelter the previous day. They were charged with burglary and possession of stolen property.SEARCH AND RECOVERY:After several weeks of investigation, officers from the 70th Precinct have arrested the %u201cmain drug dealer%u201d in the area of Avenue M near East 16 Street. Officer Bruce O%u2019Connor says he saw Robert Gangi, 19, get into a car at Avenue M and East 15th Street the afternoon of Tuesday, September 5 with a blue bag. O%u2019Connor pursued on a motor scouier. When O'Connor tneo to catch up with the car, a second car kept cutting him off. Gangi left the car on East 13th Street, between Avenues M and N. allegedly carrying the blue bag and a gin. Although Gangi eluded O%u2019Connor's chase, the Police knew Gangi %u2019s tome areaa n d O %u2019C n n n n r a l n n n w i t h O f - - .... - %u2019 %u2022%u25a0%u25a0o ...... v-'1ficers Dan Gallow and Kenneth Pederson, canvassed the area. One man told them Gangi was hiding in 1372 East 14th Street. When the Police got to the house they met two women, Virginia and Claire Rosensteel, 21 and 19, who said they could take the officers to Gangi. O%u2019Connor went with the women, but the other officers remained in the Resensteels%u2019 back yard. Teh Rosensteels took O%u2019Connor to Gangi%u2019s house, but he was not there. A search of the Rosensteels%u2019 house produced Gangi and the blue bag, which allegedly contained 9 pounds of marijuana. Gangi was arrested for possession of marijuana. Virginia and Claire Rosensteel were both arrested and charged with harboring a fugitive. The driver of the car that allegedly cut off O%u2019Connor%u2019s motor scooter, 20 year-old Jeffery Greene, an alleged aide to Gangi, was apprehended by Officers John Barrett, Joseph Kemptony and Detective Joseph Freda and charged with attempted murder.,JUVENILE PICKPOCKET: An11-year old youth faces a charge of grand larceny-pickpocketing in Familv Court after allegedly taking $10 from John Castro in front of 50 Henry Street on August 26 at 4:00 pm Officer Carl Southland of the 84th Precinct made the arrest.NO RELATION: Eddie Cornegy, 16, of 134 Willoughby Avenue and a youth under 16 allegedly confronted Todd Hall August 25 at 1 p.m. and told him to %u201c give us the moneynr wp%u201911 f-- vnu un %u201d Cornpov ihf>n ................... ... j - r %u2022 - ........ ...........raised an umbrella threateningly. Fortunately for Hall, 84th Precinct Anti-Crime Officer Joseph Hall (no relation) was in the area and arrested the perpetrators, charging them with attempted robbery and Dossession of a weapon.WHO%u2019S THERE: Police say Matthew Santangelo of 168 President Street gained access to 170 State Street August 22 at 10:45 a.m. by using a friend%u2019s name when talking on the intercom. Once inside, he allegedly used a crow bar in an attempt to illegally enter an apartment. He was arrested by Officer Eddie Johnson of the 84th Precinct and charged with burglary and possession of burglar%u2019s tools.PURSESNATCHER BAGGED:Officer Luis Carter of the 76th Precinct arrested an alleged pursesnatcher after a twelve-block chase August 25 at 12:40 p.m. Ricardo Paniagua, 19, of 147 Richard Street was nabbed in a clothing store at 127 Smith Street and arrested for a $92 purse-snatching at DeGraw Street and Fourth Avenue. A second suspect remains uncaptured.ONE MONTH LATER: Alfredo Rivera, 16, 188 Bergen Street, wasarrpcfpH Anono* - - -- C ~ %u2014 %u2014 - v 11 %u2713%u00bb+ I *) %u2014 a -almost one month after the robbery he was charged with. Detective O%u2019Toole of the 78th Precint, who made the arrest, says that during an argument with a neighbor at Bond and Bergen Streets on July 28 Rivera put a gun to the neighbor's neck and demanded money. The victim complied and turnedf U l A r K lc ~ %u2022 w%u2018 ** %u201c%u00bb w .New Greater Bank Branch Gets OkayThe State Banking Board upheld the Greater New York Savings Bank%u2019s application for an East 74th Street branch last Tuesday, September 5.Eight votes were needed for approval and the Greater New York received exactly that. One board member, Ownc Hague, voted against the application and one, Eugene Morrison, abstained.Over 150 pages of arguments by South Brooklyn Against Investment Discrimination (AID), which is leading the fight against the branch application and the Greater New York, were sent to board members last week. Several members said they had not read all of the material and wanted to table the discussion. By a 6-3 vote, however, the subject was put on the September 5 agenda.Herb Steiner, Executive Director of AID, said he was %u201cdisappointed,\so much by the decision (%u201cwe were hoping for a miracle%u201d) but by %u201cthe lack of time board members had to review the materials.%u201dNow the application goes to the Federal D eposit Insurance Corporation (FD1C) for approval. There was some speculation, however, that action would be delayed until the FDIC completes its study of real estate in Brooklyn. Under Federal law, branch applications can be denied if the bank has a history of not reinvesting money in its community. %u2014 D.H.September 7,1978, TH E PHOENIX, Page 5