He’s a living legend!
Former Assemblymember Joseph Lentol’s name will likely be further immortalized in his former Greenpoint stomping ground, as the Meserole Avenue Post Office 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 Office” — 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 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 half-decade representing the neighborhood, Lentol championed local issues and projects including the building of the Kosciuszko Bridge and Bushwick Inlet Park, the installation of bike lanes, as well as statewide issues like criminal justice reform and gun violence reduction. Lentol left office 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 Office as the Joseph R. Lentol Post Office 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 figures 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 Office is a traditional center of activity in Greenpoint, a neighborhood where I’ve spent nearly all my life,” Lentol said. “Like the Post Office 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 Congress Member Carolyn Maloney whose local office 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.”
