New York will come back. Just give it time.

0:00 Speaker 1 With us today. Is Bernadette Castro A famous name. I go back, Bernadette used to pull out that Castro convertible and then I remember her as the State Parks Commissioner. Bernardette Castro. Welcome to the our show. And what have you been doing?

0:24 Speaker 2 Oh John? First of all, so good to be with you. I you know, I was with you the other night with Governor Pataki on nine to eleven. It was so great to be with you and Margo and the Governor and Libby. But I’m listening to your radio voice and I didn’t pick it up at the dinner table. You’ve

0:38 really got a good radio voice.

0:39 Speaker 1 By the way, well maybe the microphone makes it better.

0:43 Speaker 2 I think it’s good. But you know, I want I want to first start off by saying your book. Okay, I haven’t finished it, but I’ve read a lot of books by self made men, you know they publish books.

0:55 This one is fascinating. It’s a fun read, it’s a quick read, well written. I mean I love it. I really love it. So anybody that hasn’t bought it that’s listening, how far do you want to go? By you? It’s incredible?

1:10 Speaker 1 Well, thank you for the plug.

1:12 Speaker 2 No I am. I sincerely mean it, or I wouldn’t have brought it up.

1:15 Speaker 1 Tell me your adventures when you were a park commissioner and all the things that you accomplished.

1:21 Speaker 2 Oh you’re so nice. So here’s something fun that you didn’t mention in between the little girl, which is my claim to fame, the little girl that opens the castro. I wasn’t want to be rock and roll star, Okay.

1:34 So I had one hit that made the top forty and it was an interesting part of my life. Barry Gordy auditioned me himself, and it was an interesting part. But then I had a family, and then I decided I really loved public service. I wanted to get into government.

1:52 I ran with Governor Pataki with his team in nineteen ninety four. I was the only one on the ticket that lost because I ran against Daniel Patrick Borneyan. However, I took forty two percent of the vote. Nobody thought I could win, but I helped the governor win and I loved it. So he said, I want you to

2:12 be part of the cabinet, and I asked for this agency, Parks, Recreation, Historic Preservation. It was a great twelve years in his cabinet because he was a very green Republican meaning loves the environment, loves passive recreation, loves parks, and he protected We worked as a team and protected a million acres one way or the other, either through purchase conservation easement.

2:43 I mean he was a fabulous boss.

2:46 Speaker 1 D Well, he’s from Peakskill and Pikskill was a grad area. I used to vacation up there in my in my uncle’s bungalow. Is that word still exists, bungalow?

2:57 Speaker 2 The word still exists, cabin often used now within the state park system. But yeah, you know, when you get up out of Manhattan, you get up into the Hudson Valley and then further north, there’s so much beautiful New York state. I mean, it’s a huge state.

3:15 Speaker 1 And how many parks does that have?

3:19 Speaker 2 We have one hundred and sixty eight or so. Now I’ve been out of government, you know, we were in ninety four for twelve years. They could have added a few. I didn’t do my homework and tell you exactly currently, but I think there’s at least one hundred and sixty eight state parks, the most famous ones being, of course

3:35 Jones Beach, Niagara Falls, we have Riverbank State Park in Manhattan, an incredible urban park in Harlem, incredible. But we’ve got so many state parks, so much accessible, wonderful recreation for New Yorkers. And what’s great is come November. Excuse come, I think it’s Halloween. The feves get from so you don’t have to pay a parking fee. At Jones Beach,

4:03 you can walk the boardwalk in the beautiful weather. Still, but there’s a lot going on in state parks that your listeners should just go on to the website. New York state parks easy to pull up, and they should reserve a cabin for next season. Now. An example in Montauk, we have hither Hills State Park, one of the greatest

4:23 ocean camping parks in the country. It’s fabulous. So there’s so much New Yorkers can take advantage of it. And I used to say, you own these parks, I just take care of them for you. So get out there.

4:35 It’s a beautiful state. I tell Long Islanders, go to the Thousand Islands on the Saint Lawrence River, we have parks.

4:42 Speaker 1 I’ve never been there.

4:45 Speaker 2 John, you would love it. It’s gorgeous, and you know I would say to the go.

4:49 Speaker 1 Ahead, I’ll tell you a secret. Well you were there. You weren’t at that the book party we had at the Union League Club on last Wednesday night where I staid a secret that we almost had Governor PATTACKI convinced to run one more time.

5:09 Speaker 2 Wow, let me tell you something. If he would run one more time, I think he could win in a landslide.

5:16 Speaker 1 People loved him. People loved him.

5:19 Speaker 2 He was great.

5:20 Speaker 1 He was he was fair to everybody.

5:23 Speaker 2 He You know, I was with someone last night who worked tried as a very very wealthy man. I’m not going to say his name or is company, but his wife. Her mission was taking women who were incarcerated for very little reason and getting them pardoned. She worked with the Cuomo administration, denial, denial, denial, Democrat administration. But TACKI comes in.

5:48 She couldn’t believe it. He looked at some of these women that were absolutely didn’t deserve to be in prisoned any pardon them. Okay, that’s just one story out of a million. But this man with compassion, He was a good businessman. He ran a good state. Everybody loved him.

6:05 He worked with both sides of the aisle, which is so unusual, right, especially today. He had Democrat friends in the Assembly, and he had some were in such great friends, but he was able to negotiate. He came to the table, he was calm. I can’t say enough good about him.

6:23 He was fabulos. I wish you would have run for I really wish he could have been president. He would have been a great president, there’s no doubt.

6:30 Speaker 1 But yeah, a lot of common sense and every group in our state supported him, no matter who they were. And look, I am enjoying this conversation. Tell us about how long did you pull out that cashual convertible?

6:51 Speaker 2 Well a long time, you know, I really We sold the furniture division in nineteen ninety three. My dad passed away in ninety one. Excuse me allergy here. So I was involved in the marketing end of the company until we sold it. But we would often do a new commercial with me as an adult, using a flashback a

7:14 little insert black and white of the original. So people much younger than should have remembered me remember those commercials.

7:22 Speaker 1 But tell me also, the song you sang and made the top forty.

7:29 Speaker 2 I can’t sing it now, but the name of it, it’s got a crazy title. But it’s a really good song. Are you ready for the crazy title? Yes, his lips get in the way, Okay, crazy title. It was sixties girls sound. It was really fun. So yeah, YouTube you can.

7:48 You can listen to it on YouTube. There weren’t videos in those days. But yeah, I had I dropped out of college. I was very serious. I dropped out of the show business when when Barry Gordy audition me in Detroit in his studio and I would have been, I think the first white female crossover artist that he was

8:10 going to sign, and I had the most admiration for Motown everything he did. But I realized with Barry Gordy, if you commit, you commit, and.

8:20 Speaker 1 Bernardette Cashow, we’re at a time. But I enjoyed watching you pull out that convertible. I am happy to learn that you’re a singer and I’m going to try to find that song. And I love I love what you did with our park system. I love parks, I love our environment, and I love to continue this conversation in

8:44 the future. And thank you so much for calling in this Sunday morning.

8:49 Speaker 2 Thank you so much. John. You enjoy the rest of your day.

8:52 Speaker 1 Thank you. We’ll catch up against, so thank you