FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com december 18, 2014 • The Courier SUN 35 ‘Shorty 140’ graffiti tagger arrested: report Photo via Laser Burners/Flickr Creative Commons One of Shorty 140’s alleged tags that he’s left in New York City through the years. THE QUE NS COURIER STAFF [email protected]/@queenscouier They got Shorty. A graffiti artist famous among local authorities for leaving his “Shorty 140” tag on Queens overpasses has been arrested, according to a published report. Alberto R. Rodriguez, 33, who has lived in College Point and Long Island at various times, has been charged with criminal mischief and the felony crime of making graffiti, according to Newsday. Police eventually nabbed Rodriguez on Dec. 3 after picking him up in a DWI case and charged him with the graffiti crimes, the paper reported. They were able to catch him through surveillance and a database that logs graffiti tags throughout the city. One of the “Shorty 140” tags that police collected, according to am New York, included the words “RIP John Gotti” along the Cross Island Parkway. Rodriguez has long been a thorn in the side of police and community leaders, angry over his ever-present graffiti on highway overpasses. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton once fumed that seeing Shorty 140’s tag on graffiti while traveling to and from the Hamptons on weekends drove him out of his mind, according to a report in Newsday. In addition to continuing his graffiti spree, Rodriguez has also developed a cult following as a rapper in recent years. Former Queens Library trustee defends Tom Galante’s reported expenses THE QUE NS COURIER STAFF [email protected] @queenscouier One of the six Queens Library trustees dismissed by the borough president has stepped out to defend the expenses by suspended library chief Tom Galante, saying the credit card charges by the embattled director were all for legitimate library purposes. Joseph Ficalora, CEO of NY Community Bank and past president of the Queens Library Foundation Board, told The Queens Courier that the expenses Galante made during his time as library director were not “inappropriate” and had all been approved by the board. Galante, who earns $392,000 a year was placed on indefinite, paid leave in September, following a preliminary review of library finances by city Comptroller Scott Stringer. Some of the credit card charges that Galante rang up included dinners with groups of library trustees, concert tickets and various hotel charges while the library chief was on out-of-town library business. However, according to Ficalora, the expenses that are being reported had all been approved by the board and were consistent to those of others who held Galante’s position in past years. He also added that six of the board members who had approved the expenses are still on the board. “This was nothing that they didn’t know and the board members that are still sitting knew this and there was nothing about the expenses that were inappropriate,” Ficalora said. He also said that other published reports that questioned international trips Galante took were a “miscarriage of justice” because he had been traveling around the world as the ambassador of the library and also to accept awards on the library’s behalf. Questions about Galante’s spending, including construction of an outdoor deck near his office and renovations to executive conference rooms, were first raised earlier this year after union grumbling about the 2013 outsourcing of some janitorial jobs at two of the library branches, raising questions over whether the claims were politically motivated. Despite several investigations into the spending, no charges have ever been filed. “These activities were board-approved and consistent with the library having earned awards,” Ficalora said. “Tom was invited to speak at world-class events because of the world recognition and awards the Queens Library was receiving. None of those expenses were inappropriate and they were all approved by the board.” In regards to the “fine dining,” Ficalora added that these meals have been typical for library directors for decades and they took place to discuss library business such as new programs or any problems. Galante was suspended in September and his duties have since been carried out by Bridget Quinn-Carey, the library’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. In July, Borough President Melinda Katz fired six trustees and Mayor Bill de Blasio fired two more. Two others resigned. Four new trustees have since been appointed. Six of the ousted trustees filed a lawsuit in August demanding to be reinstated. However, two weeks ago a federal judge granted the request of the former trustees to dismiss their lawsuit that challenged Katz’s decision to remove them from the board. According to one of the lawyers representing the former trustees, the lawsuit was dismissed because the former trustees did not have the financial ability and emotional willpower to pursue the lawsuit. THE COURIER/File photo Tom Galante
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