Renamings for Goosby and Catanese

                                                                                   

Dorothy Goosby

  
A cynic might think the many recent renamings by politicians of various streets, public buildings, intersections, and even community rooms,  for local community activists, first responders or military service members might be related to the upcoming elections as a way to get votes.

But just because the timing is suspect doesn't mean that the people honored are not worthy of recognition.

Such is the case for  Senior Hempstead Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and the late Uniondale activist Marie Catanese. Both are deserving recipients.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin and the town board -- all Republicans -- will rename the town hall plaza after Goosby, a Democrat, on Saturday. The media advisory says renaming the public space as "Senior Councilwoman Dorothy L. Goosby Plaza" was announced in Feb. 2020 but delayed because of the pandemic. 

Goosby is a "widely respected and beloved New York civil fights icon, having fought tirelessly as an advocate for equal voting rights," it says.  She was also the first African-American woman elected to the town board.

Goosby can be irascible and stubborn in support of her community. She has battled with Nassau Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs for years over various issues. She often votes with her Republican colleagues.

But Goosby and her late husband, Anderson 'Jay' Goosby - along with civil rights attorney Fred Brewington -  are largely responsible for overhauling the make-up of Hempstead town government -- run by Republicans for most of a century.

Dorothy Goosby was one of two plaintiffs in a federal civil rights suit filed against Hempstead by Brewington in 1988. It alleged the town's at-large voting system, in which the entire town voted for each town board member, violated the constitution by diluting the voting strength of black residents, ensuring a white majority on the town board.

The case went to trial in 1996. In 1997, the district court judge found that Hempstead's at-large system violated the federal Voting Rights Act and ordered a six-district voting system be implemented.

The order was stayed while the town appealed. But in June, 1999, a federal appeals court affirmed the decision and directed the town to adopt six single-member districts for the town board.

By then, Goosby was a household name. She was elected in 1999 even before the districts were implemented.

The Hempstead case was a precedent-setter on Long Island and led other municipalities to abandon at-large voting systems.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, the Nassau Legislature's Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) and other local government officials renamed a portion of Uniondale Avenue between Nassau Road and Jerusalem Avenue as "Catanese Way" to reconize "decades of advocacy by the husband-and-wife team of Ernest and Marie Catanese."

Ernest Catanese and members of his family attended the ceremony in Uniondale's Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace park, which, Abrahams said,  Marie and Ernest helped secure, dedicate and preserve.

Marie Catanese, who died in 2019, was a relentless but always cheerful advocate for all things Uniondale.

“Marie and Ernie Catanese dedicated their lives to fighting for those that don’t have a voice for themselves and ensuring that our community continues to remain strong and vibrant,” Abrahams said.

Ernest Catanese and Kevan Abrahams