Bay Ridge Street Co-Named for Community Leader Joanne Seminara

By Meaghan McGoldrick O’Neil, Brooklyn Paper

Friends, family and former colleagues of the late Joanne Seminara gathered on Sunday, July 28 to celebrate the co-naming of a stretch of 78th Street near Ridge Boulevard in her honor. The event commemorated the late legal eagle’s legacy, which continues to affect Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and surrounding communities.

A revered Brooklyn political leader and community advocate, Seminara served as a member of Community Board 10 for 26 years, including a tenure as chair from 2010 to 2013. She died on December 15, 2022 at the age of 66.

Attendees on Sunday praised Seminara’s unwavering dedication, integrity, and commitment to public service.

“We typically only do one or two street renaming dedications every year and that’s for good reason. It’s not every day that a human being leaves such a significant impact on a community that they warrant a street to be named after them — a sign that will survive all of us here today,” Council Member Justin Brannan told the crowd. “But with Joanne Seminara, there was no question. Everyone agreed she deserves this honor because she certainly left her mark on our community.”

A lifelong Ridgeite, Seminara began her career as an attorney, practicing in New York and New Jersey for over three decades. She frequently spoke at local educational seminars on estate, trust, and tax issues, and conducted her own legal education workshops. Seminara also taught at her alma mater, Notre Dame High School in Staten Island, and ran for City Council three times, making personal connections with constituents through door-to-door campaigning.

She was elected New York State Democratic Committeewoman and Executive Committee member of the New York State Democratic Party — roles in which, Brannan said, she served as a guiding light.

“She mentored countless young people breaking into law and politics and served as a trusted and longtime advisor to politicians, candidates, and stakeholders in the city and state,” Brannan said Sunday. “Many of us are here today and consider ourselves Joanne’s adopted political children.”

Throughout her career, Seminara received numerous accolades, including the Bay Ridge Third Avenue Merchant’s Civic Award in 2017 and Schneps Media’s Power Women in Business Award in 2016. In 2020, she was named one of Brooklyn’s “Best Lawyers.”

“Joanne was the real deal,” Brannan said. “Joanne understood the importance of planting seeds for trees whose shade you may never enjoy and encouraged young leaders to do their thing and follow their hearts.”

But, she “suffered no fools,” he added, joking that “after one cup of coffee, Joanne could tell if someone was sincere or just another grifter.”

At the end of the day, “for Joanne, community always came first.”

“Joanne believed your job as a human being was to leave the world a little bit better than how you found it,” Brannan said.

In a statement, State Senator Andrew Gounardes said “Bay Ridge is a better place” because of Seminara.

“Joanne was a rare breed: a tireless leader and compassionate soul who served her community every day. She was a staunch advocate for southern Brooklyn, an accomplished attorney, and a mentor to so many,” he said. “Her passing left a hole in many hearts — including mine. Bay Ridge is a better place because of Joanne’s work. By renaming this street in her honor, we remind everyone who walks by that they benefit from the legacy she left behind.”

This isn’t the first time Seminara’s name will be memorialized in the neighborhood. A new 300-seat elementary school expected to open on 3rd Avenue this fall will be named P.S. 413 The Joanne Seminara School of Law & Medicine in honor of the late Brooklynite’s contributions.

Members of Seminara’s family — including her husband, Pierre, their children and grandchildren, and her sister, Juliette — were in attendance for the unveiling of “Joanne Seminara Way.”

[Photos by Arthur de Gaeta]

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

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