BY ROSE ADAMS
She’s no saint!
Bensonhurst Catholics
slammed First Lady Chirlane
McCray for snubbing the
saintly winner of a supposedly
democratic election to determine
the subject of a statuebuilding
campaign honoring
the trailblazing women of New
York City history
“It makes no sense,” said
Rosalie Grazaino, who has attended
Saint Frances Cabrini
Church in Bensonhurst for 50
years. “What happened to democracy?”
Congregates of the Bay 11th
Street church near 86th street
pooled their votes to nominate
the house of worship’s beatifi c
patron — known for her work
with New York’s immigrants
in the late 19th century — and
the worshippers came to dominate
the poorly attended polls
with a whopping 219 votes.
But St. Cabrini’s supporters
claim Comrade McCray
spit in the face of democracy
and threw their votes in trash
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when she chose seven different
women to commemorate
with statues across the city.
“It feels like we’re living in
Communist China,” said Ursula
Agosta, 72, a Bensonhurst
resident and a parishioner
at the Bay 11th Street church
near 86th street. “I voted for
her like I vote for the mayor,
like I vote for the president.”
McCray launched the She
Built NYC public initiative in
June 2018 to address the city’s
lack of statues honoring great
women, and asked the public
to nominate their favorites.
Some of the top votes went to
Saint Frances Cabrini, activist
Jane Jacobs, and humanitarian
Lillian Wald — all of
whom received more votes
than most of McCray’s picks.
Instead, Mayor de Blasio’s
wife and Deputy Mayor Alicia
Glen chose to commemorate
jazz singer Billie Holiday, civil
rights advocate Elizabeth Jennings
Graham, doctor Helen
Rodriguez Trias, and LGBTQ
activist, Sylvia Rivera — none
of whom were among the top
seventeen women nominated.
The other three picks —
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm,
lighthouse keeper
Katherine Walker, and transgender
activist Marsha P.
Johnson — did make the top
seven spots, although none
took fi rst or second place.
The winners announcement
caused a ruckus at the
Bensonhurst church, where
parishioners had mobilized
friends and neighbors to cast
votes for their patron saint,
known as Mother Cabrini, after
their priest, Reverend Guy
Sbordone, urged the congregation
to vote for her.
And Councilman Justin
Brannan (D–Bensonhurst)
penned an letter politely bashing
the city on Aug. 16 for ignoring
the open call’s results.
“I am delighted with the individuals
who were selected...
they are all personal heroes
of mine,” he wrote. “However,
the seemingly undemocratic
process for arriving at these
choices leaves me quite dismayed,
as I feel the will of my
people was denied.” The fi rst
lady has not yet responded to
the letter, Brannan claimed
on Aug. 29.
Even the panelists McCray
chose to evaluate the public’s
picks expressed frustration at
the fi rst lady’s dictatorial selection
process, according to an art
news website Hyperallergic .
“The whole thing was a
charade,” Harriet Senie, an
art historian on the panel, told
Hyperallergic.
A spokesman at She Built
NYC clarifi ed that the seven
statues are the fi rst of many
that the organization hopes
to build, and claimed that the
nominations were strictly advisory.
The committee prioritized
selecting a racially
diverse group: only one of
the seven statues, Katherine
Walker, was white.
However, while the spokesman
claimed that the committee
would continue considering
Mother Cabrini, he
SNUBBED: Chirlane McCray chose
not to build a statue for the beloved
Saint Frances Cabrini, who
established 67 schools, orphanages,
and hospitals in America,
many of which were in New York.
Photo by Marcus Stevens
implied that a statue may not
be in the cards, saying the
saint is wealthy with tributes.
“We appreciate the passion
and enthusiasm for honoring
Mother Cabrini’s remarkable
life and work, and we’re proud
that New York City is home to
a shrine honoring her, along
with a street and parkland
named in her honor,” he said.
Bensonhurst Catholics furious
over McCray’s statue snub
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