"With the takeover law the state-appointed superintendent has complete control," said Mr. Sinatra, a retired superintendent from Perth Amboy and no relation to the singer.

Mel Rubinstein, the retired superintendent of Islip schools, appears as the attaché to the Colombian ambassador.

Similar failings have been the downfall of many superintendents, said Dr. Clyde Zeanah, the retired superintendent of the Opelika, Ala., schools and a longtime figure in the state school superintendents association.

In 1953, Bhatti married Mohtarma Shahida Banoo, the daughter of Ahmed Din Butt, a retired superintendent of the Indian Railways.

For some retired superintendents, returning to run a school district can offer a significant financial benefit.

Intrigued by Con Edison's letter last year, James Di Santo, 81, a retired superintendent of buildings and grounds for the Port Chester Public Schools, called the company's toll-free number for more information.

Membership is open to both active and retired superintendents, the chief executive officers of school districts.

Also making retired superintendents attractive, he said, is that although districts have to pay competitive salaries, the retirees already have health benefits and pensions, so the total wage package comes to only 40 percent of the usual costs.

Gina Powell, a retired superintendent from Montefiore Medical Center's pathology department, is a volunteer in the Success in Science project, which was begun in 1990.

A few booths away, Dean Powell, 67, the retired superintendent of the local water system, echoed Ms. Perfect's endorsement of Mr. McCain, particularly because of his war record.