MARIO CARIELLO, EX-QUEENS CHIEF

Mario Joseph Cariello, a former State Assemblyman and judge who was Borough President of Queens for much of the 1960's, died Friday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was 78 years old and lived in Long Island City, Queens.

Mr. Cariello, a Democrat, was Borough President from 1963 to the end of 1968, when he stepped down after winning election as a State Supreme Court justice in Queens. He served on the court until his term expired in December 1977.

During his tenure as Queens chief executive, Mr. Cariello helped the borough prepare for the 1964-65 World's Fair in Flushing Meadows. He also was an advocate for improved transportation and other public projects to benefit Queens.

Mr. Cariello frequently disagreed with City Hall, particularly under the administration of Mayor John V. Lindsay, over what he saw as attempts to consolidate powers to the detriment of the borough presidents. He unsuccessfully sought weighted voting on the Board of Estimate to give populous Queens additional influence over the city budget.

Elected to Assembly in 1936

Mr. Cariello was born in upper Manhattan in 1907, three years after his parents arrived from Sorrento, Italy. In 1911, the family moved to Queens, where he went to public schools. He attended Fordham University and New York Law School and was admitted to the bar in 1931.

He was elected to the State Assembly in 1936 and served through 1941, when he won election as a Municipal Court judge in Queens. He was re-elected in 1951 and 1961.

Mayor Robert F. Wagner swore him in as Borough President on Jan. 2, 1963, after City Councilmen from Queens selected him to serve until the general election later that year, when he won the post in his own right.

Mr. Cariello is survived by his wife, the former Lee Pallante, and a brother, William, of Bayside, Queens.

A funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow at 11 A.M. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Roman Catholic Church, 23-25 Newton Avenue, Long Island City, Queens.