Street co-named for local leader

The corner of Shore Road and 72nd Street was co-named for political activist, private investigator and actor Ralph Perfetto Nov. 2.

Perfetto died in July 2023 at 88.

The southern Brooklynite had many titles. He was a Democratic district leader, worked for former New York City Public Advocates Mark Green and Betsy Gotbaum, was president of the Bay Ridge Mental Health Council and Astella Development Corporation, a not-for-profit Coney Island-based organization dedicated to providing affordable housing and improving quality of life.

He also served as director of cemeteries for the state of New York under former Gov. Mario Cuomo. 

On screen, Perfetto played roles in “The Irishman,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Daredevil” and “The Good Wife.”

Family members, friends, elected officials and community leaders showed up for the unveiling of the sign for Ralph J. Perfetto Sr. Drive.

“His entire life was dedicated to helping others,” said his son Ralph Perfetto Jr. “My father was never in it for the award. He was in it for the good of the cause.

“Whether it was searching for missing children or missing funds from a senior citizen’s account, he was on it and he was going to do what he could to make it correct.”

Lorraine Perfetto echoed her brother’s statement that their father cared more about helping people than about receiving recognition. 

“If I ever said this to him, ‘Would you want something named after you, a street name, a library, school or something,’ he would say that was not important,” she said. “‘What’s important is the actions that I took to help people that actually brought about an improvement in that person‘s life and maybe the lives of others surrounding them.’”