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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 186-09
April 26, 2009

STATEMENT BY MAYOR BLOOMBERG ON THE DEATH OF STATE SENATOR JOHN J. MARCHI

The following are the Mayor's remarks about the death of former State Senator John J. Marchi (R-Staten Island) at the Lehman Houses in East Harlem:

“New Yorkers have lost one of the true giants of our public life: former State Senator John Marchi. During World War II, John saw anti-submarine duty in the North Atlantic.  He also was the executive officer on a landing craft during the hard-fought battle of Okinawa in the Pacific theater.  During his long career in the State Senate, he often guided our City through troubled political waters.  He played a major role in writing and passing the State legislation that brought New York City out of the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, and helped put us back on a sound financial footing.

“For five decades, mayors of both political parties relied on John to represent the City’s interests in Albany – as the legislative architect of the State University system, as an advocate for equitable transportation and education funding and on so many other vital issues, John was a true and far-sighted statesman.

“He was also a great champion of the people of Staten Island, and fought successfully for improvements to ferry service and I was proud to christen one of the modern new ferries the Senator John J. Marchi in 2004. John never backed away from a cause he thought was right.  He always represented, not just the interests of the people of Staten Island, but also their courage, and their patriotism.”







MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser   (212) 788-2958




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