Friends Helping Friends By Naming Things For Other Friends

Don’t feel too dumb if you don’t recognize the person who your street is now named for — the Brooklyn Paper explains that they’re mostly bureaucrats:

In the grand tradition of naming city streets after people no one has ever heard of, DUMBO’s own Main Street is slated to be co-named for former Department of Transportation assistant commissioner Dolores Barbieri.

Who?

What?

Huh?

The street co-naming would be the first for DUMBO, a distinction that puts it on the map — in the sense that the neighborhood now has enough residents to attract the attention of politicians who want to honor ex-colleagues.

Under the proposal, the block between Plymouth and Water streets would be co-named for Barbieri, who died last May. Barbieri — a Brooklyn native — was a Pratt Institute graduate and an assistant to former Borough President Howard Golden.

Her biggest achievement at the DOT was the reconstruction of both Staten Island Ferry terminals, neither of which is in Brooklyn.

Her connection to DUMBO? She was living on Main Street when she passed away.

“We nominated her for the street-naming because she had an outstanding record of public service,” said Evan Thies, spokesman for Councilman David Yassky (D–Brooklyn Heights).

Community Board 2’s transportation committee overwhelmingly approved the co-naming on Tuesday in advance of a full board vote on March 26.

And that’s OK with some DUMBO enthusiasts.

“Paying homage to people who devoted their lives to public service is always a good thing,” said Tucker Reed, executive director of the DUMBO Improvement District.

And yet everyone knows the real reason is to get people to stop thinking about the other great Barbieri:

In the past three and a half years, Lloyd Joseph has been in and out of hospitals, undergone multiple surgeries and struggled to make ends meet as the injuries he sustained in the October 15, 2003 ferry crash prevented him from working. On Monday, he rejoiced when he learned he can finally move ahead with a lawsuit against the city.

“I am very happy with that reaction; it’s been four years now and I am still suffering,” said Joseph. “I have another operation today. I have already taken three operations, and I still have one more to go. And it’s time for my wife and my kids to get some kind of closure on this.”

Joseph is one of dozens seeking damages from the crash of the Andrew J. Barbieri, which claimed the lives of 11 people and injured scores of others. The city wanted to use an old nautical law to cap civil claims to the cost of repairs to the ferry, at about $14 million.

But in a 25-page decision, Federal District Court Judge Edward Korman denied the city’s request, saying a rule requiring two pilots to be in the pilothouse at the same time was simply ignored at the time of the crash, leaving the city liable.

Korman’s ruling says, “enforcing the rule was cost free and the City’s failure to do so constituted a breach of the duty of care owed to the Barbieri’s passengers, who entrusted their safety to the city. This breach of duty was a substantial factor in causing the deaths and injuries suffered by the plaintiffs.”