Teresa “Tish” Cianciotta was born to fight the good fight. For most of her life she advocated for a better community for all in North Brooklyn. She also went out fighting. When diagnosed with glioblastoma in March she was given three months to live. She fought this disease and won nearly six more months. She passed away on November 22, 2023.
As a Community activist for Williamsburg and Greenpoint she worked as NYS Assembly Member Joe Lentol’s long-time special assistant. Tish was a member of Brooklyn Community Board 1 for over 41 years, and was a founding member of the Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corp (GREC) and Concerned Citizens of Withers Street with her husband Guido. As part of the latter group, she helped to beautify the World War I memorial, Memorial Gore.
“Just like her relentless advocacy and fight in the community. She fought her illness and odds like a champion. I am so devastated but grateful she joined Guido [her husband]. The love of her life and the greatest love story I have ever witnessed. It is my wish that her legacy will always be remembered. She loved her community. She gave her time wholeheartedly to the betterment of it. As I sat and went through boxes of photos and binders and all she documented I am ever so proud of her,” said Dina Cianciotta Ditri [her daughter].
One result of Tish’s major efforts in advocacy is Kingsland Commons. As a member of The Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corp. (GREC) she fought for decades for NYC approval of the final plan for the Greenpoint Hospital campus that will create over 500 new affordable rental apartments (110 for seniors), maintain a high-quality 200-bed shelter on the campus, and include new community facilities. That dream became a reality in 2018. The development, Kingsland Commons, broke ground on the first building, the Barbara Kleinman Men’s Shelter, in December 2022. The new shelter is expected to be completed in October 2025.
“My husband Guido and I along with my neighbors at GREC devoted 40 years of our lives to redeveloping the campus. We were there for a 40-night vigil to right size the former 1150 bed shelter. I attended every community board meeting to advocate and invested countless hours with my neighbors to shape the plan for the campus,” said Tish Cianciotta at Kingsland Commons ground breaking celebration in May 2023.
Tish amazed her family: her late husband, Guido Cianciotta; son, Gary Cianciotta and daughter, Dina Ditri; her daughter-in-law Debbie Pestka-Cianciotta and son-in-law, Anthony Ditri, and granddaughter Theresa Ditri.
Tish Cianciotta will be missed, and she will be remembered.
The Greenline 