Daily News from New York, New York • 1247

all II I if i jr ft Hi'. Fbrtnfotmation cn civsc 1 irp fain- A Eureau 718) 8754455 r': 718) 875-7795 Heme Delivery 1-800-692-NEWS fiULUETlM BOAXD PACES DuQGDLrDglD ft DODu iiG3uG By DONALD BERTRAND vehicle. The students were on their way home from a prayer vigil for the hospitalized Lubavitcher Reb-be Menachem Schneerson, who died in June. Rashid Baz, a Lebanese immigrant, was convicted of secondndegree murder in the case and sentenced to 141 years in prison. "In naming the ramp for my beloved Ari, you are indeed softening my own endless pain, but more importantly you are helping to perpetuate that which Ari stood for: joy, goodness and scholarship," said Ari's mother, Devorah Halberstam, at the City Hall bill signing.

Said Giuliani: "In a violent act of senseless proportions, Ari was killed, not for any malicious ac- tion or deed, but simply because he was Jewish. "This is a very small symbol of New York City's caring and compassion for this family that has suffered so much, and also a sign of how really remarkably the community was able to absorb this blow and turn it into something positive." DOT spokesman Allan Fromberg said a decision about exactly when the signs go up would be made in the next few days and would depend on the availability of the Halberstams. "The terrible thing about his death was that his death was because of hate," said Councilwoman Mary Pinkett (D-Fort Greene, Crown Heights), a sponsor of the bill. Daily News Staff Writer It won't be long before signs reading "Ari Halber-stam Memorial Ramp" are installed on the Manhattan entrance ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, city Department of Transportation officials said yesterday. Earlier this week, Mayor Giuliani signed a bill officially renaming the ramp for the Brooklyn rabbinical student who was gunned down in an unprovoked attack there just over a year ago.

Aaron (Ari) Halberstam, 16, was riding in a van with several other rabbinical students March 1, 1994, when a gunman fired several bullets into the BIS By AUSTIN EVANS FENNER si ij Daily News Staff Writer Schools Chancellor Ramon Cortines' order that embattled Public School 128 Principal Michael Miller be transferred was greeted with outrage by his support ers and his attorney yesterday. DIM Co))LI chancellor's insistence that the principal had "a cloud hanging over him" in the wake of the charges. On March 27, Miller was hit with a 34-count felony indictment charging he misappropriated to buy exercise and weightlifting equipment a total of $2,219 from fund-raising and from a grant intended to help poor families teach children how to read. Miller is scheduled to return to Brooklyn Supreme Court on April 28 to answer the charges. In a terse letter faxed to Board 21 offices late Monday afternoon, Cortines instructed the board to reassign Miller no later than tomorrow, insisting that it was "in the best interest of the school as well as the principal." Last Wednesday, Board 21 voted to keep Miller at PS 128 after more than 200 supporters gave heartfelt testimonials on his behalf.

Louis Albert, Miller's attorney, said he think the chancellor's decision is unfortunate and wrong. "We are going to push the judge to dismiss the indictment against my client," said Albert Miller is guilty only of caring too much and getting parents involved, said Albert "He used a very small percentage of the money from a state Education Department grant intended for a pre-kin-dergarten program, which had a parent component that allowed the money to be used to make a fitness program avail-. able in the school," said S' pa 1 I mm IN THE SWING: Little Prospect Park. By DONALD BERTRAND Daily News Staff Writer The city Department of Consumer Affairs was finalizing new regulations yesterday governing the automobile booting industry and will hold hearings on them soon. A bill allowing the department to regulate the industry was signed into law by Mayor Giuliani on Monday.

"We worked in partnership with the Council in drafting the bill so there were no surprises in the bill," said Marc Wurzel, chief Of staff to Consumer Affairs Commissioner Fred Cerullo. He said the department sees vte Sftw Michael Moffitt, 2, checks out the swing at the Vanderbilt Playround in It CHARLES A. AKMOO also mandates that conspicuous signs be posted where motor vehicles may be booted for unlawful parking. The bill was sponsored by Councilman Sheldon Leffler (D-Hollis), who at first sought to ban the industry outright. "While originally I had proposed a ban on booting, I think that this sets up a sensible and rather elaborate regulatory scheme which hopefully will work," Leffler said.

He said he developed the -legislation after several constituents came into his office following confrontations with persons booting their cars at the shopping center adjacent fPn y.0 "The community knows Miller is totally innocent, and I'm still going to support him to the hilt," said Carmine Santa Maria, a member of School Board 21. "It's unfortunate that these types of witch hunts cause people grief, insults and financial burdens." On Monday, Cortines ordered Board 21 to reassign Miller pending the outcome of charges he misused school funds to build a personal gym in the Bensonhurst school. Cortines issued the order less than a week after the board voted unanimously to allow Miller to remain at the school in defiance of the Imwl ODD to his community office in Holliswood. Giuliani said Consumer Affairs has received numerous complaints about the practices of some booting companies. But the agency could do nothing because the department did not have the authority to investigate the complaints.

"This bill, which is a collaborative effort between the ad-ministration and the City Council, gives the Department of Consumer Affairs the authority to regulate this industry and provides the consumer with a process to settle their grievances," the mayor said. air no problems in putting the regulations into effect by the scheduled date of June "Something like this, that impacts on so many consumers, we don't want there to be any delay in putting the licensing and regulated rate fees into effect," he said. Consumer Affairs must hold a public hearing to discuss the regulations stemming from the new law. That should take place within the next six weeks, Wurzel said. The law imposes a fee cap of $100 on a booted vehicle and allows for the payment of any charges by credit card at the site of the booted vehicle.

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