Dominick PRESTO Esq.

PRESTO Dominick, Esq., an attorney practicing law for more than 55 years, and the former 24-year Mayor of the Borough of Carlstadt, passed away peacefully at home on Thursday evening in the presence of his family. He was 87.The cause was congestive heart disease.Mr. Presto the son of Italian immigrants, was born on January 16, 1923 in Newark, NJ; the fourth of six children of Antonio Presto and Josephine DiPietro. His father owned a restaurant in Newark and shortly after Mr. Presto's birth; relocated the family to Carlstadt where the Presto family would maintain a constant presence in Carlstadt commerce and politics for more than 70 years. The Presto family established several long term businesses on Hackensack Street, Carlstadt's main thoroughfare. Mr. Presto's father, Antonio was the sole proprietor of a barbershop. His father Antonio and brothers Anthony and Carmen were the proprietors of Presto's Tavern until Anthony sold the business and relocated to Myrtle Beach in 1986.Mr. Presto attended Carlstadt's elementary schools and graduated from East Rutherford High School. He was a parishioner at St. Joseph's R.C. Church, East Rutherford, NJ.Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Mr. Presto enlisted in the US Army Air Force where he served as a Private First Class in Company A 932nd Signal Battalion SEP TAC. He was assigned to battles and campaigns in Central Europe, Naples-Foggia, North Apennines, Germany, Rome and North Africa. For his efforts during his assignments, he was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal and a medal for Good Conduct. Mr. Presto was a member of VFW Post 3149 and American Legion Post 69, both located in Carlstadt. After World War II, he attended college on the G. I. Bill and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with an Associates Degree. He then enrolled at Upsala College and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and a minor in Philosophy. After graduating from Upsala, Mr. Presto was unsure if he wanted to study architecture or law.Mr. Presto decided upon law and was admitted to Fordham University School of Law in 1950 and graduated in June of 1952. In September 1952, he took and passed the bar exam and was sworn in on March 13, 1953. Initially Mr. Presto served as a law clerk in the offices of Winberry and Winberry in Rutherford, NJ. Mr. Presto would remain for nine months and then opened his own private practice law office at 15 Park Avenue, Rutherford, NJ. In 1963, along with a client, Mr. Presto bought the building at 18 Glen Road, Rutherford, NJ where he continued to practice until his death.For 25 years, Mr. Presto partnered with Paul S. Barbire; the firm was known as Presto and Barbire.During his law career, Mr. Presto served as a Borough Attorney, Zoning and Planning Board Attorney, Library Attorney, and Board of Health Attorney for the Borough of Carlstadt. His firm, Presto and Barbire, a very successful and prominent law firm in southern Bergen County represented various municipalities and boards within those municipalities for many years. He had served Bergen County for five years as County Counsel. Mr. Presto served as Counsel to the Felician School for Exceptional Children, Lodi, NJ and was a member of their Board of Directors for 37 years.In March 2008, more than 150 family members and business clients gathered at The Fiesta banquet hall in Wood-Ridge, NJ to celebrate Mr. Presto's 55th year of practicing law. Mr. Presto was presented with various proclamations and certificates in honor of his service.Mr. Presto entered Carlstadt politics in the 1960's. He served as Carlstadt's Borough Attorney and as the attorney for various boards within the Borough. In 1971, he decided to enter the race for the Mayoralty of Carlstadt and overwhelmingly defeated the long seated Republican incumbent. Mr. Presto went on to serve six consecutive four year terms as Carlstadt's Mayor; a job he loved and took very seriously.His tenure as Mayor would be marked by an aggressive capital improvement program that would see many of the Borough's streets and sidewalks rebuilt after years of neglect. Borough facilities would be upgraded and expanded, and the Civic Center/Ambulance Corps and DPW garage were constructed. Parks and recreational facilities would also see improvements through the use of grants that often time Mr. Presto himself would apply for on behalf of the Borough.While serving as Mayor, Mr. Presto donated his legal services to the Borough. The creation of Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission (now New Jersey Meadowlands Commission) in the late 1960's was primarily seen by local municipalities as a loss of "home rule" as the agency became responsible for zoning, planning and regulatory issues as well as sharing some tax revenues from the 14 affected municipalities. Mr. Presto was a staunch supporter of home rule, and fought to maintain each municipality's right to plan and zone along with retaining their tax revenues. Mr. Presto served as the Chairman of the Mayor's Municipal Committee for over 20 years.Mr. Presto, seeing the face of Carlstadt changing, had a long-standing goal of creating affordable senior citizen housing. It was his desire to keep Carlstadt's long-time citizens and their family legacies within the Borough. Despite his best efforts, senior housing would not be realized during his tenure as Mayor. To this day, Carlstadt still has no affordable senior citizen housing. Mr. Presto held various positions while serving as Mayor of Carlstadt including Chairman of Meadowlands Mayors Commission, President of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, Member of the Executive Board of the New Jersey State League of Municipalities, and member of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors. Mr. Presto was a member and former Vice Chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization. Mr. Presto was regarded as influential in matters concerning Southern Bergen County. Mr. Presto was highly regarded in both the legal and political communities. His colleagues and others would describe him as "indefatigable" and "unflappable".In 1995 Mr. Presto was inducted in the New Jersey League of Municipalities Mayors' Hall of Fame for his 20+ years of service as Mayor. He had been a past delegate to the Democratic National Convention and attended Presidential inaugurations. Mr. Presto was the past Chairman and a long-standing member of the "Boat Jumpers." He received many honors during his lifetime: Boss of the Year, from the Passaic-Bergen Legal Secretary Group, Man of the Year from the "Boat Jumpers" and from the Schmidt-Hoeger VFW Post 3149, Mayor's Mayor from the Bergen County Democratic Association, Silver Card Holder and Lifetime Member of the NJ State PBA, Recipient of Apostolic Recognition by Pope John Paul II, Honorary member of the Carlstadt Turnverein.Mr. Presto wed Kathryn Ochiuzzo in February 1950. They are the parents of Michele Marafelias (nee Presto) and Anthony Presto and grandparents of Ashley and Chelsea Marafelias. Kathryn Presto passed away in 1991; after a long battle with cancer. Together, Dominick and Kathryn Presto were tireless fundraisers for the Association of Retarded Citizens as well as the Felician School for Exceptional Children. Mr. Presto is survived by his wife Sylvia Presto (nee Della Sala); they were married in September 1997. Mrs. Presto is a Detective Sergeant in the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and is an Adjunct Professor at New Jersey City University. Mr. Presto is pre-deceased by his parents, Antonio and Josephine, wife Kathryn, sisters Angie Reininger, Mary Gedeon, Josephine "Dolly" Capo, and brother Carmen. His daughter Michele Marafelias, her fiancé Edward Flannery, son Anthony Presto, grand daughters Ashley Marafelias and Chelsea Marafelias and brother Anthony of East Windsor, NJ survive him.Funeral from the Kimak Funeral Home, 425 Broad Street, Carlstadt on Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 9 AM and from St. Joseph's R.C. Church, East Rutherford at 9:30 AM. Entombment George WashingtonMemorial Park, Paramus. Visitation Tuesday 5-9 PM and Wednesday 1-4, 6-9 PM.Donations in Mr. Presto's name can be made to The Felician School for Exceptional Children, 260 South Main Street, Lodi, NJ 07644-2117, ATTN: Sister Ramona.