SATURDAY • NOVEMBER 6, 2004 Including The Bensonhurst Paper Brooklyn’s REAL newspapers Published every Saturday — online all the time — by Brooklyn Paper Publications Inc, 55 Washington St, Suite 624, Brooklyn NY 11201. Phone 718-834-9350 • www.BrooklynPapers.com • © 2004 Brooklyn Paper Publications • 18 pages • Vol. 27, No. 43 BRZ • Saturday, November 6, 2004 • FREE Heart attack fells Vincent Grippo, 58 Called an ‘education genius’ By Jotham Sederstrom Grippo’s funeral on Staten Island Wed- The Brooklyn Papers nesday morning. “While some individuals assumed Vincent Grippo, whose 35-year leadership titles, Vinnie Grippo put career in southwest Brooklyn aside the title and immersed himself in schools took him from teacher in the community and in creating the Dyker Heights to a visionary, if at most respected, most successful, most times embattled, District 20 super- caring school district in New York intendent, died on Saturday of a City,” Scissura said. heart attack. He was 58. The funeral, held at the Our Lady of The educator, regarded by fellow Pity Church, drew hundreds of family / Greg Mango / Greg Mango / Greg teachers and parents throughout Bay and friends, but most heavily repre- Ridge and Dyker Heights as instru- sented were the educators with whom mental in a movement to more fully Grippo worked during his tenure in the embrace community groups in school district, which encompasses 33 schools Mango / Greg programming, died at his home on and 30,000 students in Bay Ridge, Staten Island. Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst. The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn Papers The Brooklyn “When it came to education no one Madeline Brennan, whose 44 years was more talented, or more passionate as principal of IS 201 in Dyker Heights about children,” said Carlo Scissura, is believed to be the city’s longest such And the winners are… president of the local community edu- tenure at a public school, said she took Paperss file The Brooklyn Rep. Vito Fossella, left, and state Senator-elect Diane Savino are all smiles during victory parties Tuesday night on Staten cation council and a former vice presi- Grippo under her wing when he was Former Community School Board 20 Superin- Island. For complete election coverage see page 16. dent of School Board 20, in a eulogy at See GRIPPO on page 4 tendent Vincent Grippo. SHOT DEAD ON H’WEEN Woman killed in bar By Jotham Sederstrom A police source said that the melee The Brooklyn Papers ensued after Cordona, 33, accidentally bumped into Bonafede and spilled his Police on Tuesday arrested a man drink. suspected of the fatal Halloween “He starts yelling, ‘You better buy morning shooting of a Bensonhurst me a drink, bitch,’” said the source. woman. “Then, he takes a gun from his right- The victim had jumped between her pants pocket. friend and the shooter after the friend The victim jumps in front of Cor- accidentally spilled a drink on the gun- dona and the male fires three or four man in an illegal after-hours club. shots.” James Bonafede, 26, was arrested When police arrived at the scene, on Nov. 2 after police traced him to his the shooter had already fled the nonde- brother’s Bensonhurst home, just script building and Emergency Med- blocks from the no-name club on West ical Service workers had begun CPR Seventh Street at Kings Highway. on Boyce, who was pronounced dead Cops say Bonafede shot 40-year-old 35 minutes later at Coney Island Hos- Susan Boyce once in the back of the pital. Boyce, the mother of a 16-year- Callan / Tom head and once in the chest. old girl, lived on 70th Street at 21st The gun-slay happened around 6:45 Avenue. am on Oct. 31 inside the no-name Bonafede is charged with second- club, which was operating nearly three degree murder. His lawyer, Stephen hours after legal bars normally close, Murphy, said only one of six witness- Papers The Brooklyn despite having no liquor license. es could identify him from a lineup. Boyce and another woman, Nina Cor- “This club is notorious for prostitu- dona, were at the club at the same time tion, crack dealing and coke dealing,” Season’s change in Prospect Park as Bonafede, of Staten Island. said Murphy. The fall colors were in all their glory at Prospect Park this week, where the green of summer is slowly giving way to orange and red. Park ball honors ace EARTH TO BRUCE By Lisa J. Curtis GO Brooklyn Editor THIS WEEKEND This Saturday, Nov. 6, the Prospect Park Alliance will pay tribute to New York Mets captain John Facts show he owns less land Franco at its gala fundraiser The Carousel Ball. The ace reliever and Brooklyn native (pictured in a By Jess Wisloski 2000 photo celebrating his team’s National League Championship after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals), The Brooklyn Papers will be honored along with River Cafe owner Michael Despite boasts by Atlantic EXCLUSIVE “Buzzy” O’Keeffe, the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league Yards developer Bruce Ratner baseball organization and the Daily News, build over roughly 11 acres of rail Beginning at 6:30 pm, black-tie ticket holders will con- that he has purchased an over- storage yards in the area. The re- verge in a tent at the Park’s Carousel lawn for this year’s whelming majority of the private maining 13 acres in the project baseball-themed soiree to rub shoulders with the hon- property needed to build a bas- site — which is bounded by Dean orees, dance to live music performed by the Alan Bern- ketball arena and office and Street and Flatbush, Atlantic and stein Orchestra, bid at the silent auction and ride the apartment towers in Prospect Vanderbilt avenues — are occu- Park’s 1912 hand-carved, wooden carousel. Heights, The Brooklyn Papers pied by city streets and privately owned buildings. Proceeds from the ball will be dedicated to main- has learned that several of the taining the newly reconstructed Parade Grounds. Callan / Tom Atlantic Yards would be a mega- Individual tickets are $300, $600 and $1,000; $75 largest property owners there development of 17 high-rises, the junior tickets (for patrons under the age of 35) have not yet agreed to sell. tallest office tower as high as 62 sto- include dessert and dancing, beginning at The Metropolitan Transporta- ries, as well as a 19,000-seat arena 9 pm. Reserve tickets in advance by call- tion Authority is negotiating the for his Nets basketball team and ing the Prospect Park Alliance devel- sale to Ratner’s company, Forest 4,500 units of housing. opment office at (718) 965-8988. Ratner has repeatedly claimed The Brooklyn Papers File The Brooklyn City Ratner, of air rights that BEGINSPAGE ON 8 Bruce Ratner at a Downtown Brooklyn press conference last month. would allow the developer to See FACTS on page 6 Any Two 95 Courses $11 Partner Yoga Workshop restaurant • bar • cabaret Sat. Nov. 13, 5-7pm 9604 third avenue • bay ridge See Holistic Resources See our ad on page 8 Guide on page 16 25% - 50% OFF See our ad on page 7 ©The Brooklyn Papers. Established 1978. Phone 718-834-9350. Celia Weintrob, Publisher (ext 104) • Neil Sloane, Editor (ext 119) • Lisa J. Curtis, GO Brooklyn Editor (ext 131) • Vince DiMiceli, Senior Editor (ext 125) • Ed Weintrob, President (ext 105) 2 BRZ THE BROOKLYN PAPERS • WWW.BROOKLYNPAPERS.COM November 6, 2004 Calls for 4th Ave - 65th St turn signal By Jotham Sederstrom “And I don’t want no old lady adding a turn signal. Lois The Brooklyn Papers or old man getting really Marbach, a consultant to Gon- hurt.” zalez, said that the Sunset Park A bustling Bay Ridge In August, Pacheco began elected official began a petition intersection responsible sending letters to local elected drive in September that drew for numerous traffic acci- officials and Community several hundred signatures de- dents, and at least one Board 7, whose jurisdiction manding both the turn signal motorcycle rider’s death ends directly at the intersec- and an unrelated traffic safety earlier this year, is being tion. Although he claims that measure on Third Avenue. studied by Department of most of the people he spoke “I know it’s very danger- Transportation officials with were slow to react, each ous,” said Ortiz. “I’ve made for the installation of a told The Bay Ridge Paper this left turns there myself. It’s al- possible turn signal. week that they have been ways people making left turns. Long a source of fear for working with DOT Borough Once you get into the intersec- many who live in the nearby Commissioner Lori Ardito tion, sometimes you get a car Bay Ridge Towers, the inter- since September to solve the making a left turn and the oth- section of 65th Street and problem. er cars won’t stop.” Fourth Avenue, which is si- Assemblyman Felix Ortiz Chin said that DOT engi- DERMATOLOGY dled by on- and off-ramps to said that he has met with Ardi- neers are currently taking ve- the Gowanus Expressway, is Callan / Tom to and is scheduled to meet hicle counts at the intersection already being studied by engi- with her again next week to to determine if the light is nec- COSMETIC SKIN PROBLEMS neers, said a spokesman for discuss the possibility of essary. Laser Hair Removal Acne • Herpes the city agency. “We received requests in Chemical Peels Warts • Genital Warts September from Community Papers The Brooklyn Botox • Collagen Moles • STD’s/VD Board 7 and Councilwoman Some residents hope the intersection of Fourth Avenue and 65th Street, near the Bay Ridge ALL ABOARD..