N.Y. Rep. Introduces Bill to Name Post Office After Hurricane Sandy Victim Lenny Montalto

A New York City congressman has introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to name a Staten Island postal facility after Lenny Montalto, the APWU member who lost his life trying to save his home from flooding during Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 29, 2012.

Rep. Michael Grimm’s bill would name the South Shore Annex Post in Staten Island after the long-time Fox Beach resident and 31-year postal clerk.

Montalto “was a dedicated postal worker who took pride in his job, and he was a loving father who, even in his final moments, put his family before anything else,” Grimm said after introducing the measure (H.R. 6636) on Dec. 5. “It is with great honor that I introduce a bill to name the Leonard C. Montalto Post Office Building, which will allow Lenny’s memory to live on among those who loved and knew him best,” the New York Republican added.

“We’re grateful that Congressman Grimm chose to honor Lenny this way,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid. “Representative Grimm has been a strong supporter of the Postal Service and a good friend to postal workers,” Reid added.

Grimm worked closely with the Staten Island Local to oppose the Postal service’s ill-conceived decision to shift the borough’s mail processing operations to a Brooklyn facility, Reid noted, and he was a cosponsor of H.R. 1351, a union-backed measure to restore financial stability to the USPS without hurting workers or slashing service.

Montalto served as the Staten Island Local’s Secretary-Treasurer and was an APWU activist on local and national postal issues.