Frank Carone installed as Brooklyn Bar Association president

Carone wants to create a mindset of service to the community, promises immigration and animal rights committees

June 17, 2019 By Rob Abruzzese

Frank Carone, left, and Frank Seddio, right. Eagle file photo by Arthur De Gaeta

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The Brooklyn Bar Association installed Frank Carone as its 102nd president during a ceremony held at Brooklyn Law School on Wednesday.

During the ceremony Carone talked about the association having a strong foundation, but not being afraid of change, including a more service-oriented mindset.

“We’re going to focus on service,” Carone declared in front of the more than 200 members, politicians, friends and family members in attendance. “Service to our members, service to the judiciary, service to the community. We want to be a real place of service. We’re going to lead by serving. The past presidents have laid a tremendous foundation. I do like to create, I do like being open to change and I like doing things differently. So, while we have that foundation, we will be open to fresh ideas and we will be looking to do some different things.”

From left: Aimee Richter, RoseAnn Branda and Ellyn Kravitz.

The ceremony was hosted by Jeffrey Feldman, executive director of the Kings County Democratic Party. Hon. Barry Kamins did the introductions, and Rabbi David Niederman and Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello performed the invocation and benediction, respectively. The speakers included immediate past President David Chidekel, as well as past Presidents RoseAnn Branda and Hon. Carl Landicino.

“I’d like to thank everyone for making the BBA even more vital this past year and Frank will take that a step further,” Chidekel said. “People don’t know what he has accomplished with the Brooklyn Bar Association — from getting the building repaired and functional to starting the Theodore Jones Memorial Golf Tournament.”

Branda, who serves as executive partner alongside Carone at Abrams Fensterman, began her speech by discussing the good work Chidekel did over the past year. She then predicted big changes under the new president and joked that the bar association would likely immediately smell better and be filled with bamboo plants for good luck.

From left: Frank Carone, Jeff Feldman, Hon. Frank Seddio and District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

“We will have a president that will champion the rights of all the judges and attorneys in this county and throughout the state,” Branda said. “I also know that he will pay very close attention to the fiscal needs of the organization and will build a treasury. He will lead the organization with his quiet and intense demeanor in a way that will make the organization members proud and the association stronger.”

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson was scheduled to speak at the event, but he was, “busy finishing the city budget,” according to Feldman.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez performed the induction of the trustees, and Hon. Sylvia Hinds-Radix, associate justice of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, inducted the officers, including Anthony Vaughn Jr., who has been added to the slate as treasurer.

Trustees from the class of 2022 (pictured from left): Martin Edelman, Adam Kalish, Gregory Laspina, Pauline Yeung, Scott Rynecki, Maria Aragona and Angelicque Moreno.

Hon. Frank Seddio then spoke briefly about his former law partner before he inducted him as president of the association. Seddio explained that the training and experience that Carone picked up in officers candidate school while he was a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, has been his trademark throughout his life.

“It’s that kind of thing where the teacher now becomes the student,” Seddio said. “I’ve known Frank for most of his life and we have shared so much, but now he has become the guy who advises me. I’m constantly saying, ‘You know, you’re right, Frank.’ After almost 25 years, I can say that Frank is always innovative. The training and experience from what he learned there are what he has carried as his trademarks.”

After the ceremony, Carone spoke about his days at Brooklyn Law School, and thanked all of the speakers and some other important people in his life including Gregory Cerchione and his family: wife Diana Carone and son and daughter Francesco Carone and Gabriella Carone. He then laid out his list of plans for the next year.

Officers being sworn in (pictured from left): Treasurer Anthony Vaughn Jr., Secretary Joseph Rosato, Second Vice President Richard Klass, and First Vice President Armena Gayle. Not pictured is President-Elect Anthony Lamberti.

“I’d like to create a collective mindset of who we are and who we want to be,” Carone said.

“We’re going to create robust active committees … committees that are going to be engaging, active and committed,” he continued. “We’re going to add committees that are relevant to today’s time like an immigration committee, an animal rights committee. We also want to really focus on serving the community at large. We’re going to really outreach to immigrant communities, provide them with knowledge about the judiciary, knowledge about the law.

“Throughout this borough, the great mosaic that is Brooklyn, we’re a borough with immigrants from all over the world and many of them don’t have access to the judiciary, knowledge of how it works and opportunities that are open to them. We want to make them feel welcome and empowered.”