BY BEN VERDE
Former Assemblymember
Joseph Lentol’s name will
likely be further immortalized
in his former Greenpoint
stomping ground, as the Meserole
Avenue Post Offi ce may
soon bear the 78-year-old’s
name.
The renaming came after
the passage of a bill in the
US House of Representatives,
which was authored by local
Rep. Carolyn Maloney. The
measure still needs the approval
of the Senate, which it
will likely get.
If the bill is passed, the
mail emporium near Guernsey
Street would bear the
name “Joseph R. Lentol Post
Offi ce” — giving the former
legislator, who lost reelection
in 2020, an even greater place
in neighborhood lore, where
he served as an Assembly rep
for 48 years.
“I’ve known Joe Lentol
since he was a young Assemblyman
COURIER L 6 IFE, OCT. 29-NOV. 4, 2021
and I was working in
the State Legislature for the
Cities Committee,” Maloney
said. “He was a wonderful
public servant then and still
continues to be. Joe was a true
champion for criminal justice
reform, environmental protections,
fair labor practices,
and so many more issues
throughout his career.”
Throughout his near halfdecade
representing the
neighborhood, Lentol championed
local issues and projects
including the building
of the Kosciuszko Bridge and
Bushwick Inlet Park, as well
as statewide issues like criminal
justice reform and gun violence
reduction. Lentol left
offi ce last year after losing a
primary election to now-Assemblymember
Emily Gallagher.
“I am so happy that we
were able to pass H.R. 3419
in the House to rename the
Greenpoint Post Offi ce as the
Joseph R. Lentol Post Offi ce
so we can truly honor Joe’s
contributions here in Brooklyn
in a way that will live for
as long as the impact he has
had on this community,” Maloney
said.
Lentol now joins the ranks
of prominent New York fi gures
who have had pieces of
infrastructure named for
them while they were still
alive, including Ed Koch and
Robert Moses.
“I am deeply honored. This
United States Post Offi ce is a
traditional center of activity
in Greenpoint, a neighborhood
where I’ve spent nearly
all my life,” Lentol said. “Like
the Post Offi ce motto, I have
worked to serve my community
through rain and sleet
and winter storm, trying to
deliver what was needed, often
in collaboration with
Joe Lentol, right, with friends and supporters outside of the USPS offi ce
in Greenpoint that will be renamed after him on Saturday, Oct. 23.
Photo by Caroline Ourso
Congress Member Carolyn
Maloney whose local offi ce
was co-located with mine. My
heartfelt thanks to the Congress
Member for creating
and passing the federal legislation
to have this important
facility carry my name, and
to the community for supporting
the initiative.”
He’s a living legend!
Greenpoint post offi ce to be renamed
for State Assembly icon Joe Lentol
Health coverage
that gets New York.
We get what you want from your health coverage,
because as your neighbors, we want it, too. See how
we go beyond with coverage, health and wellness
classes, and support to help keep New York healthy
at emblemhealth.com/brooklynpaper.
/brooklynpaper
