RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Charles Poletti occupies a singular place in the history of New York State as the only person to serve both as Governor and as a Trustee of the New York Power Authority; and

WHEREAS, these were but two of the many positions filled with distinction by Mr. Poletti in a remarkable career that spanned public service and the private sector, as well as decades and continents, and stands today as a classic embodiment of the American Dream; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Poletti, the son of Italian immigrants, earned a scholarship to Harvard College, graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and went on to graduate with honors from Harvard Law School; and

WHEREAS, his record of  accomplishment included service as Governor and Lieutenant Governor, as a practicing attorney and a justice of the State Supreme Court, as a labor arbitrator and as the official responsible for foreign exhibits at the New York World’s Fair of 1964-65; and

WHEREAS, after leaving the Statehouse, Mr. Poletti served as a U.S. Army civil affairs officer in Italy during World War II, playing a pivotal role in the revitalization of that country after the fall of the Fascist regime and attaining the rank of Colonel; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Poletti’s ties to the New York Power Authority predated even its birth, through his service as a lawyer for a state commission that recommended the Authority’s creation and his work in drafting the 1931 legislation which met that objective; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Poletti was active in the long effort to win federal approval for construction of the Authority’s first project, on the St. Lawrence River, and later served as a Trustee from 1955 to 1960, the crucial period in which the St. Lawrence Project was built and the Authority’s Niagara Project largely completed; and

WHEREAS, in recognition of his extraordinary achievements, the Power Authority’s Trustees in 1982 renamed the Astoria 6 power plant for Mr. Poletti; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Poletti retained an abiding interest in the Power Authority, attending various special events and delighting all with his wit and instant recall of Authority people and happenings; and

WHEREAS, he could, and did, proclaim without fear of contradiction that “I have more years devoted to the New York State Power Authority than anybody else in the world”; and

WHEREAS, Charles Poletti died on August 8, 2002, at the age of 99 at his home in Marco Island, Florida;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Trustees of the Power Authority of the State of New York extend their sincere condolences to Mr. Poletti’s wife, Elizabeth; his children and his grandchildren and express their appreciation and admiration for his many contributions to the Power Authority, his state and his country.

September 17, 2002