Carol Berman

Carol Berman
Member of the New York Senate
from the 9th district
In office
1979–1984
Preceded byKaren Burstein
Succeeded byDean G. Skelos
Personal details
Born(1923-09-21)September 21, 1923
DiedOctober 17, 2023(2023-10-17) (aged 100)
Political partyDemocratic Party
ResidenceLawrence, New York

Carol Berman (September 21, 1923 – October 17, 2023) was an American Democratic Party politician in New York, from Lawrence, in Nassau County. She served in the New York State Senate from 1979 to 1984. Berman first achieved attention for her efforts to prevent the landing of Concorde and other supersonic transports at nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport.[1]

Berman was part of the leadership of the Emergency Coalition to Stop the SST, which sought to stop Concorde from using Kennedy Airport, whose runway approaches passed over her Lawrence home. Protesters led by Berman and other groups opposed to Concorde ran a series of protests at Kennedy Airport starting in May 1977 in which as many as 1,000 cars drove along the main airport roadway at the 6:00 p.m. peak, driving at 5 to 10 miles per hour.[2] Berman announced in August 1978 that her group was seeking to raise $100,000 to be used to help fund a lawsuit against the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and encouraged other area residents to sue the Port Authority.[3]

Berman was a district aide in the offices of Assemblyman Eli Wager and of Representative Herbert Tenzer. She was vice chairman of the Nassau County Democratic Committee and was a delegate for Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson at the 1976 Democratic National Convention in New York City.[4] She died on October 17, 2023, at the age of 100.[5]

  1. ^ O'Grady, Jim. " NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: THE ROCKAWAYS; Ears Ringing? It's Cheering Over the Demise Of the Concorde", The New York Times, April 27, 2003. Accessed September 24, 2008.
  2. ^ Kihss, Peter. "Turnout Increases in Car Protest Against Concorde", The New York Times, May 23, 1977. Accessed September 18, 2008.
  3. ^ Staff. "$100,000 Fund Sought in Drive To Sue Port Authority Over SST", The New York Times, August 9, 1978. Accessed September 18, 2008. "Calling the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 'arrogant in its disregard' for the people in communities near Kennedy International and La Guardia Airports, Carol Berman, leader of the Emergency Coalition to Stop the SST, said she hoped to raise $100,000 to finance the $1.84 million suit that a group of Long Island individuals have brought against the authority."
  4. ^ Lynn, Frank. "POLITICS A Happy Landing In State Senate", The New York Times, February 4, 1979. Accessed September 18, 2008.
  5. ^ "Carol Berman". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 17 October 2023.