Mike is a brother of my son-in-law Dan. In 2001, he was a great help in my campaign for New York City Council. At that time, I have been serving on the Community School Board for 10 years. The struggle to improve the quality of education for the children was difficult. The physical limitations of space left some students no choice but to sit in the auditorium after lunch. Small groups were taught in a foyer in front of a teachers’ bathroom in PS 89 in Elmhurst. I was trying to find ways to better serve the underrepresented students and parents by running for a seat on the New York City Council, and that’s when Mike came to help. Mike not only helped in collecting signatures to get me on the ballot, but also spoke on my behalf on occasions. He was an articulate speaker and I received many votes. However we couldn’t beat the political machine. After the election, they redrew the district map and carved my neighborhood out. Since then we each went on with our busy lives although I wish we had stayed in touch more. I feel indebted to him for what he did with the meager pay that was available then. One afternoon towards the end of the campaign when I was told to close the account that same day with some donated money left, I couldn’t get in touch with him to give him the money. Regrettably it all went to the lawyer. A few years later, some new school buildings were constructed and old ones renovated. The extreme overcrowding was slightly alleviated.. Our efforts were not in vain. Mike will always be remembered fondly for his kindness and energy. May he rest in peace in our Heavenly Father’s arms.

In 1995 I had dropped out of a PhD program in geochemistry and was hoping to reinvent myself at NYU. I was delighted to run into Mike rollerblading around Washington Square Park - I remembered him as a relentlessly fun and energetic person from my time at WHRW and SUNY-B. I still have an illustration he gave me on a band-aid wrapper around that time, and I always loved running into him around the city during my time there. Years later we reconnected on Facebook, and I was happy to follow his further adventures.

We were friends in college and bonded over our shared love of music. I saw him occasionally after Binghamton and I have a piece of his artwork on my wall. I'm wearing a shirt he made today in his honor. I would like to express my deepest sympathies the his family for their loss. The attached photo is from an art show of my paintings in Beacon N.Y. Mike accompanied me and is seen here with my mother, father (since deceased) and my friend since junior high school Marco.