Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Remembering Angelo Arculeo long-time Republican leader in the New York City Council
Angelo J. Arculeo was a lawyer and member of the Republican Party in Brooklyn. He represented several Brooklyn neighborhoods, now part of the 43rd Counc. Dist., in the New York City Council from 1962 through 1982. He held the position of Minority Leader of the City Council from 1962 to 1970, and again from 1973 to 1982. During the period between his two terms as Minority Leader he served as the Republican Party Leader in the Council. For much of his time in the City Council, Angelo Arculeo was the only Republican Council member elected in a geographically defined district and not elected from a borough/county at-large. He was 89 years of age.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
20 comments:
Angelo Arculeo was one of the better ones. He was the Bay Ridge Bensonhurst man. Had tough races. Joe Sciarra, Fred Trippe, Ralph Perfetto, and he went to the mattresses with John Gangemi . By 1982 Angelo got tired of it, and the voters sensed it.
Angelo is also the man who accelerated the slow decline of the once-mighty Seergy Club. When Seergy died in 1972, Arculeo broke a longstanding club rule and sought the District Leadership while keeping his City Council seat. He lost the Council seat a decade later to Sal Albanese, and eventually gave up the leadership.
Who cares about Arculeo being District Leader and Councilman? The "slow decline" that hit in 1982 was sellout Chris Mega voting to eliminate the old 50th AD, the Bay Ridge Assembly District. For that sellout which led top the decline of Bay Ridge Republicans Mega was voted out. Arculeo faced the fallout. Now we are reduced to lowlifes like Marty Golden.
Angelo was nobodys fool. I knew him well. He was so tight with a buck you could hear him squeak when he walked.
Can we move the dialogue to the up and coming generation of leaders, like John Gangemi and Sal Albanesey. Those kids are on the move.
REPLY TO ALL OF THE COMMENTS ABOVE:
What's going on here, kids? All I wrote was "Remembering Angelo Arculeo...."
Lots of things happened "...a long time ago in a kingdom by the sea..."
Let's not romanticize it, plunge it into bathos or get it all mixed up with macabre recriminations.
Lots of things are connected to lots of other things, but that's a long way from showing or proving which things caused which effects.
Republicans lost it all after gerrymandering democrats had to cut up Bay Ridge, the only Republican district in brooklyn.
A real measure of the late Angelo J. Arculeo's standing in the Republican Party is that even the glacially speedy Brooklyn GOP website was forced to post a memorial/obituary item about the man. In addition, to vital dates and professional accomplishments, the Brooklyn GOP posting by "Uncle Abe" listed some of Mr. Arculeo's political offices and activities, and it gave us a very brief look into the time(s) Angelo Arculeo spent in, with and for the Brooklyn GOP.
Since the prior posting at that GOP site was fifty-one (51) days earlier, it’s obvious that any posting there is necessarily a matter of significance to all who are part of and/or who follow the workings of the present incarnation of the Brooklyn GOP (See “Hon. Angelo J. Arculeo, 1924 – 2013 ” by Uncle Abe, 3/13/13, BROOKLYNGOP.com -Website... [http://brooklyngop.com/?p=929]).
The Gangemi crew was run out of the Republican party in the 70's.
Not true about the Gangemi family. John Gangemi Jr beat Senator DiCarlo in 1996. The Democrats welcomed them into the fold.
Where is Vito Batista when you need him?
What follows is the text of an Email distributed by the Fiorello LaGuardia Republican Organization:
Remembering Angelo Arculeo: A Great Republican Leader
By: Lucretia Regina-Potter
Communications Director FLGRO
Republican District Leader 49AD
As a Republican District Leader in Brooklyn for the past several years, I have learned of the history of the Republican Party in Brooklyn and the people that helped develop and shape its past firsthand. I am fortunate enough to learn of many prominent Brooklyn Republicans from someone who has had the honor and privilege of working with many great Brooklyn Republicans, the Founder and Chairman of the Fiorello LaGuardia Republican Organization, and former Republican Assemblyman 49AD, Dr. Arnaldo A. Ferraro. It is with much sadness that we learned of the passing of Angelo Arculeo, former Republican Minority Leader of the City Council and District Leader of the old 49th AD and recall him with fond memories.
Dr. Ferraro recounts his memories of Mr. Arculeo:
“I met Angelo for the first time while he was the Minority Leader if the NYC Council in the early 1980’s, and later when he was the Republican Leader of the 49Ad Republican Club around 1984 when I was looking to run for the Assembly seat in that area. He and his co-leader Esther Gardella, who also passed away some time ago, were instrumental in taking back the 49AD for the Republican Party which had previously been lost to Louis Freda, a Democrat, in an open-seat race. Freda defeated Robert DiCarlo Jr., the son of the esteemed and long time Assemblyman Dominick DiCarlo who resigned and vacated his Assembly seat to become Assistant Secretary of State to President Ronald Reagan, and later became a Federal Judge. Dominick DiCarlo Sr. had hoped his son would win his seat and was deeply disappointed with him loosing to a relatively unknown Democrat.
Angelo Arculeo campaigned very actively with me and introduced me to many groups in the area that he knew of from being a Councilman and a District Leader. Angelo was popular and well respected in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, and the Bath Beach area, which in the past constituted the old 49th AD, a much more contiguous geographical area at that time. The 49th was then split into four current Assembly Districts: 46, 49, 47, and the 63rd Ads. As the Male and Female District Leaders of one of the most powerful Republican clubs in Brooklyn at that time, when the election of viable Republican candidates was a top priority and Republican unity was proven to be a powerful political force in Brooklyn, Angelo and Esther worked very hard in fulfilling their duties. Because of their hard work, I was able to defeat Louis Freda, an incumbent Democrat, and take back the Assembly seat for the Republican Party in the 49th AD. I am truly grateful to have known such a good man and consider him a great leader of the Brooklyn Republican Party”
(For a link with photo, see: www.LaGuardiaRepublicanClub.org )
Only Arnaldo can turn someone else's obituary into a story about his own brief, one-term stint as a legislator nearly thirty yeara ago.
Amen.
At least Arnaldo had something to say about Angelos tenure as a Republican party leader. Craig Eatons posting about Angelo sounded like he just heard his name for the first time.
Arnaldo forgot to mention that when he ran for office 25 times as a democrat he worked in every race to unseat Angelo.
Angelo Arculeo. R.I.P.
Last of a byegone era.
I believe that there is at least one more.
Hon. Angelo J Arculeo dedicated over 30+ years to his community and his country.. 25 years as 49 th District Councilmen. His passing marks the end of an era . In era when public service was about Honor - and Service to the community and not about special interest groups or what your political office could get you. Angelo J Arculeo was re elected time and again for over 25 years! I think we can all agree Brooklynites dont allow that type of faith in a politician if its unwarrented. We can also agree that if we had a public servent with EVEN HALF of Mr Arculeo dedication passion and concern for the betterment of our district today- we wouldn't be in the sad shape we are in. RIP MR. A! and thank you for caring so well for the 49th while it was under your care!
Sorry it was 20years as City Councilman - still astounding !
RACES
11/02/1982 New York City Council 31 Lost 48.57% (-2.87%)
11/08/1977 New York City Council 31 Won 53.98% (+17.50%)
01/01/1975 New York City Council Minority Leader Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
11/05/1974 New York City Council 31 Won 58.72% (+19.28%)
01/01/1974 New York City Council Minority Leader Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
11/06/1973 New York City Council 31 Won 54.59% (+11.16%)
01/03/1973 New York City Council Minority Leader Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
01/07/1970 New York City Council Minority Leader Lost 42.86% (-14.29%)
11/04/1969 New York City Council 22 Won 50.16% (+10.16%)
01/08/1969 New York City Council President Appointment Lost 19.35% (-61.29%)
01/01/1966 New York City Council Minority Leader Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
11/02/1965 New York City Council 22 Won 52.11% (+18.83%)
03/20/1964 New York City Council Majority Leader Lost 21.21% (-57.58%)
07/12/1962 New York City Council Minority Leader Won 100.00% (+100.00%)
11/07/1961 New York City Council 14 Won 51.26% (+8.73%)
And for many terms as the lone Republican http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=44993
Post a Comment