Steve Bellone -Supv - CANCELLED rescheduled to Oct 8th
2010-07-16 00:00 (America/New_York)
Due to extenuating circumstances this meeting had to be cancelled. It is rescheduled for October 8 2010

Teresa Rizzuto
2010-07-23 00:00
Today we had the pleasure of hosting Theresa Rizzuto, Commissioner of Long Island MacArthur Airport (LIMA), giving us an update on what’s happening in and around the 50 year old facility. Ms. Rizzuto opened with describing the transition of MacArthur at its opening as a "Nice to Have" to today’s status as a critical linchpin in the region’s economy. It is a driver of private investment and job growth for Long Island. She followed with a more detailed look at the past ten years of ups and downs for the airline industry and economy. Right now one of the bright spots is General Aviation, experiencing growth among private jet travel.

The meat of Ms. Rizzuto’s presentation was a description of all the projects that are going on around the airport, from the addition of free Wi-Fi access, to the new Control Tower scheduled to open in early 2011, the road reconfiguration project, which will make it even more convenient to use LIMA, the West Side redevelopment project, where new private investment will replace old, dilapidated facilities to the new Fuel Farm, which to an airport administrator is the sine qua non of projects.

It was an engaging presentation punctuated by a description of the Town and Airport administration’s efforts to further market LIMA as both a departure point and Long Island as a destination. Negotiations and interactions with airlines were detailed, with an event called JumpStart described as "speed dating" between Airports and Airlines. LIMA is a relatively unknown airport among airlines, but Ms. Rizzuto and the town team are doing their best to make that a thing of the past. Through social media tools like Twitter @LIMacArthur and Facebook Fan Pages the word is getting out along with traditional media campaigns.

Ms. Rizzuto closed with a call to action for the business community to lobby the airlines to reinforce the demand for a convenient alternative to the congested Port Authority airports in NYC. Communicate with them on their feedback pages, and when you make travel arrangements, every voice helps.

We look forward to Ms. Rizzuto’s next visit where we hope she will have even more good news and additional travel destinations reachable by Long Island’s "Most Convenient Airport"

Steve Levy, Suff Cnty Exec- governors race sponsor-Primepay
2010-07-30 00:00
Mr. Levy is always an interesting speaker. Today was no disappointment. Steve’s opening remark was : "Politicians are always trying to satisfy the needs of voters while at the same time telling them that we can cut taxes". His point was that you can do one or the other, but almost never both. According to Levy, just as we need a responsible person at home, there needs to be a ‘grown-up’ in the rooms of politics.
He compared how different levels of government deal with revenue shortfalls:

At the Federal level they print money
At the State level they shove it down to the local level
At the Local level they raise taxes or do without

Steve cited California, Illinois and New York as being financially strapped states where hard decisions will have to be made. Under the Levy Administation, taxes went from being 13% of the bill to 10% of the bill. There were hard choices made to get there. Among the steps taken was an attempt to get New York State to shoulder the cost of troopers on state roads. That didn’t fly, so Levy put Sheriff Officers on the state roads, saving the high cost of Suffolk Police. Mr. Levy says, "The Public Sector jobs are living in their own bubble." The rest of the economy suffers as they go on thinking that they should be excluded from the pain-which of course just increases the pain for the rest of the economy. $180,000 annual salaries for Policemen are just not sustainable. Pensions are funded in ways that most of the private sector gave up on years ago.
The Foley Nursing Home is another ‘craw’ in his throat. Foley costs taxpayers $10 million per year. Steve said he will sell it to a private company, and the residents will be no worse off than they are now. The Union is ready to mount a battle, but he vows that it will be sold.
Some trimming of Levy’s budget was met through early retirements, which only works if you do not rehire the same number of people. He has been able to reduce the work force and keep it that way.
He spoke some on development. While he considers himself an environmentalist, that does not preclude development. Patchogue Village was given as an example. The future development of the Ronkonkoma Railroad Station is being planned, and the prospect of affordable apartments, retail stores, entertainment and transportation to New York City will make that location very desirable.
Lastly, the ending of the Empire Zones is a big blow to Long Island. Steve encouraged all of us to notify our state representatives and urge them to keep the program. Under that program, we were able to attract Canon, a major employer. The problem with ending Empire Zones is that not only will we not be able to offer the incentives involved, but the removal of benefits is retroactive. Because of this, we will not be able to meet previous promises made under the Empire Zone provision. This is patently unfair.
During the Q&A, the question of the MTA tax was brought up by Bill Schoolman, who will be speaking on that subject next week. According to Levy, the County will be entered as a ‘Friend of the Court.’
Ernie Fazio

Bill Schoolman MTA tax revisited- sponsor by LIBN
2010-08-06 00:00
Our speaker this morning was Bill Schoolman. His topic was the MTA Payroll Tax. Bill is a businessman, CEO of Classic Coach/Hampton Luxury Liner. Last December he sued the MTA & New York State over the MTA Payroll Tax. Here’s what he shared with us today on the subject:
The budget for the MTA is $13.5 billion. They collect $5.9 billion from fares and fees to users. The shortfall of $7.6 billion is collected from taxpayers. The MTA Payroll tax was instituted to cover an additional $1.8 billion operating shortfall, bringing the current total burden on taxpayers to $9.4 billion.
Mr. Schoolman began by offering some staggering statistics on MTA wages and salaries. One example: $183,000 to a railroad mechanic . This is the product of a corrupt system, per Bill. The MTA is called a Public Benefit Corporation. The biggest benefit , however, according to Schoolman, accrues to the people in the system. What the Public gets is an inferior transportation product, inadequate & diminishing service, and filthy rest rooms. The LIRR is among Bill’s competitors for the public transportation $. And ironically, he is being required to subsidize them.
Bridges and tunnels that are part of the MTA system were fully paid for decades ago. Yet tolls are increasing again and the money is going to this corrupt entity called the MTA. That states the problem. The tax is unfair, poorly applied, and levied in such a way that all of us can see the inequity. The people that really look into this tax ‘get it’! They see the general state of incompetence, ineptitude and arrogance in government at all levels. How can we endure the fact that over 90% of all employees retire as ‘disabled’, with each of them getting extra benefits for those imagined disabilities? How can we see a railroad mechanic being paid $183,000, retired at $10,000 per month and ever envision solvency for the MTA? Schoolman gave several other examples to make his point, but this was not a venting session. Bill came to us with a well researched and developed lawsuit that ! exposes that this tax, itself, is illegal. He said:
"We are on strong legal ground to have this tax annulled. The procedures used by Albany to pass the law imposing the MTA Payroll Tax violated five sections of the New York State Constitution a well as the Public Authorities Law."
The people in the room saw the inequity as clearly as Bill did, and they were as concerned by what the speaker was saying as was the speaker himself. There are presently five other lawsuits (Nassau County, the Towns of Southampton, Southold, Brookhaven & Smithtown, & the William Floyd School District) that are essentially using the same wording Bill’s attorneys prepared . Schoolman is taking every opportunity to speak to various groups and organizations in order to expose people to the strength of his argument.
What should be done, according to Schoolman, is that 1) the MTA should be declared bankrupt and 2) the salvageable pieces should be bought by ‘people who can run a business’.
This event was sponsored by Long Island Business News.
More information can be found on the special website of Bill Schoolman’s tax-exempt corporation: www.mtataxpayerabuse.org.
Pictured: Michelle Zere – Zere R.E., Shelly Sackstein – Action Long Island, Bill Schoolman – Classic Coach, Ernie Fazio, Marie Zere – Zere R.E.

Mark Lesko, Supv Town of Brookhaven Blight to Light
2010-08-13 00:00
Members and Friends,
We often wonder where and when will we get enlightened leadership, and once in a while it shows up. Our speaker this morning was Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, filling in for Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko. Lesko and Pontieri are the enlightened leadership we seek.
Mr. Lesko has created a vision that addresses several needs in one program. Pontieri showed the award winning film "Blight into Light" that began by showing a beautiful pristine environment, then segued into the blight that exists in the Town of Brookhaven…broken down factory buildings, abandoned retail space and other eyesores dot the landscape.
The program that Lesko has advanced redefines the way permitting is done. A point system has been developed where the value of certain conditions wins points. Clearing an eyesore wins points, use of property is evaluated against a weighted point schedule. Job creation possibilities win points. New housing plans win points as well.. Other conditions that are considered are location, drug and crime problems and the potential for the area to be a plus in terms of generating tax dollars. Where the property is so contaminated that housing would not be feasible, another use could emerge.
The idea is to preserve as much still uncontaminated land as possible, and clean up those areas that are no longer being put to gainful use .At the same time, these derelict properties often do not have current tax revenue streams coming into the Town. When industry and high density residential properties are part of the redevelopment, then the taxes from those properties reduce the pressure on all other taxpayers.
The process, by its’ nature, is complex and comprehensive in execution. Yet the method promises to actually move proposals to fruition faster than the piecemeal approach that we have always taken. Furthermore, the scope of the project can be bigger if all of the elements are in place. For example, more units of housing can be built on an acre if there are sewers.
Mayor Pontieri is a natural partner for Town Supervisor Lesko because he uses some of the same principles in the Village of Patchogue. As a result, the planning and building in Patchogue has been very successful. Pontieri credits several previous Mayors for exhibiting foresight in the moves that they made. An example: providing sewer capacity in the Village that was about four times the size necessary at the time the sewers were put in. Now they are much needed, and already in place. Saving the beautiful Patchogue Theater was another great move proposed by a previous mayor.
Pictured: Paul Pontieri, Mayor of Patchogue; Yves Michel, Suffolk Co. Dept. of Econ. Dev.; Joe Ogno, Telcar Corp. Interiors
Ernie Fazio
ATTENTION ALL: ERNIE NOW HAS HIS OWN BLOG.Check it out at fazio-op-ed.blogspot.com
THIS WEEK’S EVENT WAS SPONSORED BY TELCAR CORPORATE INTERIORS.

Dale Carnegie Speaker - Bob Ranieri
2010-08-20 00:00
All you ever needed to know about human relations has been residing within your head all along. At least that’s the way it feels after you’ve been told. Today’s speaker was Robert Ranieri, Regional Training Manager for Dale Carnegie Training. Dale Carnegie was the author of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Carnegie founded one of the world’s most famous business training institutions. Within the pages of his book are concepts that are common sense, and yet we constantly need to be reminded.
The discussion this morning was entitled "Winning Formula to Attract Customers for LIfe". The usual LIMBA format is that the speaker has the floor, followed by audience participation during a "Question & Answer" period. Today, the speaker had a running conversation with the audience. Each time he wanted to make a point, he posed a question to the audience.
Among the items that were discussed was how we bring people to a decision. The way you say something can make an enormous difference in the outcome. In this morning’s session, each person was given a list of phrases and alternative phrases. On the one side you may see What you need to do…..as opposed to Might I suggest…. The second couching of the direction has a softer tone to it. It also builds trust in the judgement of the person being guided. This is very useful information to anyone pursuing a sales track It is also useful in any argument, from a political discussion to getting compliance from your children to getting your wife/husband to agree to a movie you want to see. Ranieri suggested that we are all in sales in that sense. If you get good at this, yo may even get to see the movie you prefer.
At the end of the meeting, Bob raffled off several copies of Carnegie’s famous book.
Ernie Fazio

Edward Romaine Suffolk County Legislator
2010-08-27 00:00
This morning our speaker was Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine. His topic was "The Future of County Government". Frankly, I was not sure of what the topic would entail. Ed began by giving an historical look at how our present political structures evolved. In the early days of the County, there was no County Government. The Towns were the centers of local government. Later, the County was governed by a Board of Supervisors, which was comprised of all the Town Supervisors. This all changed after a law suit was launched by William Bianchi, an orchard grower from Bellport. Bill Bianchi’s suit resulted in the formation of our present day County Legislature. Bianchi was subsequently elected to that legislative body. The Executive Branch was also formed, and the first County Executive, H. Lee Denniseon was elected.
Prior to this time there were no County services, and no police department. Police departments were a function of the Towns. Some Towns opted out of the County Police Department, and retained their own police. For example, the Town of Southold still has its own police force.
Legislator Tomaine represents an Eastern Long Island District. The East End has 10% of the Long Island population, but supplies 30% of the tax dollars. This is the same inequity we speak about when we talk about the whole of Long Island providing a disproportionate amount of New York State financing. "We have no reliable source of recurring income ", said Romaine. We do have a property tax, but it contributes just a small fraction of our $2.2billion budget. The bulk of County income comes from sales taxes, which change dramatically with good times and bad. The result has been an endless ‘feast or famine’ roller coaster. "That needs to change if we are to plan in any rational way", per Romaine.
Romaine then proposed that there needs to be a radical change in how we are governed. "We must redefine the mission and purpose of local government." He suggested that we should diminish the role of County Government, and increase the role of Town Government. Ed recognized that the State of Connecticut redefined their government in the opposite direction-they decreased Town Government and increased County authority. He believes that changing government incrementally , or using short-sighted fixes will not solve our financial problems. Leaving County workforce positions open to save money is not the answer. That has a tendency to slow operations down, and the backlogged workload becomes even more expensive later. In addition, major opportunities may be missed.
Mr. Romaine proposed that we convene a conference of non-government people in business and the general public to look at everythingbefore reconstituting the way we are governed. This group should look at how government collects its operating revenue. Ed suggested that organizations such as LIMBA take some leadership in this effort.
Ernie Fazio

labor day no meeting
2010-09-03 00:00

No meeting Rosh Hashanah Sept 10
2010-09-10 00:00

Patchogue -The Rebirth of a Village Paul Pontieri, Mayor
2010-09-17 00:00
This morning LIMBA had one of our off-premises meetings
Occasionally we will find a gem that we that want to display. Patchogue Village is one of those gems. Due to actions taken by a series of good mayors cost effective capacities were baked into the pie. As each public servant steps up to the leadership challenge he makes a decisions that are often made possible by his predecessors. It takes vision and the ability to withstand the critics that argue against infrastructure costs that will not be immediately seen. However not making those hard choices makes the job of the new leader more difficult when they do become imperative The current mayor is Paul Pontieri. He is presiding over changes in the village landscape that are creating a great living space, as well as commercial and residential facilities. According to Pontieri his initiatives would be more difficult to achieve if it weren’t for the stewardship exercised in the past.
The village of Patchogue is in the midst of a dramatic change that is providing a vibrant and much needed refurbishment. The village has in the past few years rescued the Patchogue Theater from the wrecking ball, or as village attorney, Victor Yannacone, put it. “It was saved from becoming a parking lot” Mr. Yannacone was very instrumental in the restoration of that beautiful theater
As many of Long Island’s people left the city they forgot the convenience of living in a walkable village. Today the isolation and expense of living in single family homes does not meet the needs of many of our young and single residents. In many cases it does not meet the needs of older residents either. While single-family homes will not, and should not, become a thing of the past; we should have the denser alternative that makes living more sociable
Robert Loscalzo COO, of Tritec Development made the presentation on the structures that will be in place when the work is completed. With the computer graphics we were able to have a virtual tour of the village giving the audience the experience of “seeing” the completed work. In the past thousands of dollars would be spent on models of the project, and when changes were required, the models had to be modified as well.
The event was conducted in the lobby of the Patchogue Theater. After the presentation the group was invited to a tour of the restored and modernized showplace. Looking at the interior of the theater today you will see exactly what you would have seen when it was in its heyday. The gold leaf painted fancy plasterwork has been meticulously restored. Acoustical wall fabric was reinstalled and high quality seating has been reupholstered and installed. But the electrical systems are modern and can support theater requirements that are otherwise found only in Broadway level establishments. The sound and lighting is state of the art. Victor Yannacone conducted the tour and made it clear that the theater was available.
The theater is managed by a not for profit group that has made the Patchogue theater solvent by virtue of good management and the ability to attract enough productions. It was a great morning.

John Gomez Candidate for Congress 2nd District
2010-09-24 00:00
John Gomez is a man I knew when we both had a radio program on the same station, and we enjoyed the back and forth when spoke to each other at the station. His program was political in nature and his message was conservative.
Today John began be stating that he was a Reagan Conservative (during the Q&A I reminded him that Reagan honed his political skills as a labor union president, and was a skilled negotiator and often compromised)
Gomez’s message was limited government. John believes that healthcare reform is no job for government. Cap & Trade is an economic negative, and Bush tax structure forever. No estate tax was another of his issues and stated that we are in the midst of a transformation to a European socialism.
All of this came across as the bumper sticker simplicity that has dominated politics for at least 20 years but it is more acute today.
During the Q&A I took John to task on several of those points. In this short session we really did not get the feeling that he had any real solutions that would put people to work, When asked by a representative of Long Island Contractors Association if he supported the gas tax to build roads. He agreed with that tax. Then the rep pointed out that while mileage has increased and gallons used has decreased. Shouldn’t we have an indexed gas tax to pay for that infrastructure? No! was the answer. That is a contradiction, but nobody pursued that point. Ernie Fazio

LIBDC meeting in Montauk no LIMBA meeting
2010-10-01 00:00
Long Island Business Development meeting in Montauk

Justice Ralph Costello NY Supreme Court
2010-10-08 00:00
As usual we learned something new at LIMBA. Our speaker, NY Supreme Court Justice, Ralph Costello was a departure from our usual roster of speakers.
The judge began by explaining the term of the court, 14 years, and that in this jurisdiction the position is an elected post. In other jusdications it can vary. In some cases the original term is appointed and to get a new term you must be elected. And in still others the first and subsequent terms are appointed. Methods can vary. For example the city of New York can and does have a different system than Suffolk. They appoint their judges.
When running for elction the rules are different than other public officials. A judge candidate cannot directly solicit campaign funds. If he needs funds he has a committee that solicits funds, and he is not privy to who those donors are. This is a little silly since these donor records are public documents. He pointed out that in Las Vegas donors can push a wheel barrow full of cash into a judicial candidates office, and that would be OK. Well…..it is Vegas.
Judges have received no pay increases in about 10 years, and until very recently they were not permitted to work outside of the courtroom. Even now they would’nt be able to work in "demeaning" occupations. They can write books, and that is something that they could always do even under the old rules
The Supreme Court is able to hear cases of all nature. Cases involved in environment, construction, medical liability and negligence are all heard in Supreme Court. However cases involving small sums (under $25,000) are not heard. This is different than specialized courts.
When asked to endorse the candidate for office political parties are not permitted to ask about his feelings on issues . This is a refreshing departure from the candidate questioning of a United States Supreme court nomination. In that case the candidate must dance around every question.
During the Q&A there were many questions indicating that audience was keyed in and interested
Todays meeting was sponsored by the New York Islanders Hockey club – Door prizes were given out and some lucky people went home with openning night seats in a luxury booth and oters went home with regular in season tickets. Thanks to Mike Meinardus and the Islanders.

Randy Altshuler
2010-10-15 00:00
Wow! What an energetic meeting! Our speaker this morning was Randy Altschuler, Republican candidate for the 1st congressional district
Mr. Altschuler began by giving some information about himself. He’s a Princeton grad and he ran a successful businesses. One of them was an electronic devices recycling and salvaging company. This company recycled, by fixing what was wrong and reselling the device or reducing it down to the base metals and then sold for the metal value.
He said the "American dream has disappeared." He stated that we have a general feeling that our children will not have the same opportunity to succeed as we did. Part of the reason is that we have created huge deficits. The idea that one generation creates the framework for the increased success of the next has been reversed. The debt we create is really a loan imposed on our children.
Altschuler criticized the administration foreign policy citing the danger posed by Iran, stating that the Obama administration is doing nothing to contain them (presently there is oil sitting in loaded tankers that cannot move because of the sanctions imposed by the world community including China and Russia but no one challenged him on that)
During the Q&A he was asked if he would have voted for the GM bailout since it appears that all of that money will be returned to the taxpayers. He said he would not. Some of the people in the room chimed in and agreed with him. He knocked the stimulus plan for infrastructure. Others in the room agreed with him, not because it was such a bad idea, but because so little of it went to infrastructure.
When the topic of immigration reform was brought up, the question was couched in the reality that removing 11 million people was impractical. He agreed, and then said the first thing we must do is secure the borders. and then make employers obey the immigration laws. But I did not hear a plan that would now assimilate those people that were presently in the country.
On education he stated we mustn’t spend recklessly and unions must show flexibility.
When asked how he would deal with Republicans and their demand for perfect discipline in the ranks, he promised independence.
Recently LIMBA counted a victory in getting a new rail intermodal yard started in Yaphank. Tim Bishop shepherded the permitting through the Surface Transportation Board. Altschuler was asked if we could expect him to support measures such as that, and he said he would.
Throughout the Q&A, which was much longer than his prepared remarks, the room was abuzz. There were many more questions addressed than what is cited here, and the conversation was passionate. People are genuinely troubled and it showed. I was impressed with the number of informed questions and the general participation. When we officially closed the meeting nobody ran for the doors. The people in the room continued their questions with the speaker as well as with each other.
A number of people commented to me on the quality of the discussion as they were leaving. It was a passionate exchange and people are frustrated, but there was no angry remarks diected to the speaker or each other.

LIA President Kevin Law
2010-10-22 00:00
Kevin Law, the dynamic new leader of the Long Island Association (LIA), New York State’s largest business group opened by expressing surprise that LIMBA’s Ernie Fazio was not on stage at Hofstra’s gubernatorial debate as the MAGLEV party candidate, given our feckless leader’s tireless
advocacy for this new rail technology.
Six weeks into his new tenure as head of the LIA, his previous appearance in front of LIMBA was as the Chief Executive of the Long Island Power Authority ( LIPA ).
Energy and Infrastructure will still be focused on at the LIA as just two of the challenges facing Long Island. Mr. Law brings a fresh perspective to the LIA, seeking to partner with other business groups to unify Long Island’s message to Albany and Washington DC. To that end he has been meeting with many groups, the Partnership for NYC, Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA),the Association for a Better Long Island (ABLI), and of course, LIMBA today.
One of his primary goals for the LIA will be to unify the efforts of the organizations that make up Long Island’s mosaic of groups in society, business and government. Not many entities tie together and represent Long Island as a region as the LIA does. His previous leadership role was at one of those that did, LIPA. He mentioned the Long Island Rail Road as another and pointed to the recent efforts to coordinate the region by the revival of the Long Island Regional Planning Council. His service for two governors, two county executives, and at a major Long Island law firm give him a good perspective on what businesses struggle with on Long Island. As an aside, he commented on how much more interesting the recent gubernatorial debate might have been if his old boss Steve Levy had still been in the race.
Segueing into Suffolk County’s efforts to grow the county, he spoke about the recent successes in keeping Canon’s US headquarters in Melville, and attracting Leviton to move its headquarters to Suffolk from parts west. These two successes keep 3000 jobson Long Island. He emphasized the need
to capitalize on this good news and other stories like it to change the currently negative psychology and perception of Long Island. Acknowledging some of the challenges facing Long Island his talk moved into the areas of taxes, the multiplicity of governing bodies, and the infrastructure of Long Island, both physical and intellectual. Sewers and the power grid were foremost on his mind for investment in the physical, and the fine educational system on the island is deserving of continued investment to cultivate the high value businesses and jobs that LIA wants to develop and attract to Long Island.
Still early in his tenure, Kevin is continuing to take inventory of the wide array of groups on the island, meeting with as many as possible, the ones mentioned above and more, such as Action Long Island, and the Association for Commerce, Industry, and Technology ( ACIT). This survey is taking place in order to inform the short and long term agenda of the LIA. He wants that agenda to envelop the concerns of all these groups unifying their voices and efforts.
Addressing another challenge, taxes, he came out in opposition of the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, because of their impact on a high cost area such as Long Island. $250,000 doesn’t go as far here as it does in Oklahoma, or even upstate New York. LIA also seeks to address the imbalance in Long Island as a net exporter of taxes to both DC and Albany and will not be timid about taking positions on issues. One of these issues and a priority for the LIA is to move Long Island to be a leader in the “Green Economy”, continuing the trend to develop renewable energy while he was at LIPA. It will be tough for Long Island to do on its own without Federal help, addressing that tax imbalance with research money and internationally by fighting currency manipulation to keep the playing field level. This will help Long Island meet the issues it faces with energy, infrastructure and education.
As usual, the Q & A session was lively, and at times feisty!
Michelle Zere lit a fire by asking how Kevin was going to change the culture of the LIA to make it more in line with the needs of smaller business owners, and eliminate the perception that it is only addressing the needs of the larger businesses on Long Island. Mohinder Singh also echoed Michelle’s
comment with a request that the LIA expand its diversity efforts.
Kevin responded by assuring us that he was addressing the issue and will be driving the LIA to be more inclusive, and acknowledged the importance of small business on Long Island, citing the statistic of 90% of Long Island businesses having fewer than twenty employees.
Marc Herbst of the Long Island Contractors Association ( LICA ) called on the LIA to not be a paper tiger, and be a leader of all the business groups, pledging the support of LICA towards that goal. Following up, he asked Kevin how the LIA was going to help advance the $500MM worth of sewer projects that are currently on the drawing boards.
His answer was to agree that this sewer work is critical to progress development on Long Island and a key to future growth. Reviewing the history of the last round of sewer projects on Long Island, he emphasized the need for federal funding to pickup a large portion of the cost of this infrastructure.
Larry Weiss asked Kevin for his thoughts on how to address NIMBYism, which Long Island is seemingly the capitol of.
Recalling his tenure at the Town of Huntington during the early efforts to get the Matinecock Court housing development in East Northport off the ground, he stated the best way to head off NIMBYism is education and outreach. NIMBYism generally comes about because of a lack of education and uninformed opposition. The proponents of a project must get out in front of this in order not to lose the spin war before it starts.
A highlight of the session was a group of questions surrounding access to the gubernatorial debate broadcast and control of the news media on Long Island. That certainly got the audience’s attention and dander up. Once again it was another provocative, entertaining and informative LIMBA meeting with an excellent speaker and a room full of Long Island’s movers and shakers. Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be of value.

Kirk Kordeleski Bethpage Fed Credit Union.
2010-10-29 00:00
This morning we held our LIMBA gathering in the offices of Bethpage Federal Credit Union (BFCU) and were educated about credit unions in general and BFCU in particular. Kirk opened his talk with a primer about credit unions’ structure and history. Credit unions have been one of the few success stories to come out of the financial crisis.They are not banking institutions; they are financial cooperatives that offer banking services. Their charters are such that they were restricted from engaging in the risky investment strategies that proved to be so damaging to many banks and other financial institutions This has resulted in BFCU having a strong capital base to work with as we emerge from the recession.
One of the interesting things about a credit union is that it cannot raise capital by selling equity as the large banks have been doing recently to recapitalize themselves. Their capital comes from deposits and the success of the instruments and products that they
invest those deposits in. Their boards are all volunteer, and have evolved from being oriented around a single company’s employees to serving defined communities. The founder of Filene’s department stores is credited with fostering legislation and founding
organizations that lead to the popularization of credit unions for corporate employees to obtain reasonably priced financial services.
BFCU was founded by Grumman employees in the early 40’s, and grew through adding company associations with some of the larger employers on Long Island, including its next door neighbor Cablevision and Computer Associates in Islandia. Membership was also restricted to employees of those companies. Subsequently, its charter was changed to include all of Nassau and Suffolk counties so that anybody that lives, works, worships, or regularly conducts business in Nassau and Suffolk can become a member. BFCU has invested heavily in their community strategy since changing their charter and it is beginning to show results. Their sponsorship of the Jones Beach Air Show both honors their Grumman roots and serves their expanded Long Island community.
Under Mr. Kordeleski’s guidance over the last ten years, BFCU has grown from $950MM in deposits to nearly $4B and 180,000 members. It is the #1 credit union in the country measured by deposits. It has twenty four branches with three more under construction. BFCU plans to open three to six each year to grow eventually to fifty or sixty branches.
Value, service and convenience returned to the shareholders are are its guiding principles. Since BFCU is a co-op, they don’t have the same profit pressures that retail banks do. As a result, community involvement is a foundational principal. BFCU is expanding its focus to help underserved communities, placing branches in disadvantaged neighborhoods and communicating with a multicultural marketing strategy. Convenience is emphasized with surcharge free access to ATMs in 7/11 stores, Walgreens, Costco and King Kullen. The King Kullens in Commack and Levittown also host BFCU branches.
They are expanding into business services also. The initial focus is on real estate, but lending products and SBA supported lending is forthcoming. Another strategy is to price their product to be number one or two in the markets that they serve, whether that is interest
rates earned on deposits or charged on loans. These approaches have resulted in consistently high JD Power rankings for satisfaction.
Once again it was another educational opportunity to be at LIMBA meeting with an excellent speaker and learn more about an underappreciated Long Island institution that can serve us all.
Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be of value.
Recap by Craig Plunkett.

Phil Nolan. Town of Islip, Supervisor
2010-11-05 00:00
This morning we were back in our usual MacArthur Holiday Inn location to hear from Phil Nolan about the state of the Town of Islip in general, and the role of Long Island MacArthur Airport (LIMA) in particular. The affable, animated supervisor has been a LIMBA speaker in the past and opened his talk with some reminiscences of meetings and events with the familiar faces in attendance.
Coming off of last night’s Town Board meeting where the new budget was approved, Mr. Nolan gave us the high and lowlights of town finances during his administration. To the good, the town’s general fund tax rate remained flat from last year. The recession has dried up ten to fifteen million dollars per year in revenue, mostly from the decline in Mortgage Tax revenue over the past few years. The supervisor has responded by downsizing the town government, shrinking the number of employees by 25%, mostly through attrition. Last year however, he did have to lay off thirty seven people, one of the most personally difficult things that he has done in his career.
LIMA has felt the recession also, with passenger emplanements currently running at 1.9 million per year, down from a peak of 2.3 million. In spite of this, it is still the crown jewel of the town and is a great driver of jobs and economic growth. Mr. Nolan is very enthusiastic about the business community’s embrace of LIMA as a business facility. He was also kind in his remarks on former supervisor Pete McGowan’s role in building the airport up during his predecessor’s tenure.
Great praise was also in store for the current airport commissioner, Theresa Rizzuto, who has injected great energy and private sector business acumen into the airport’s current operations. Ms. Rizzuto and her staff are working with all sectors of the aviation industry and all regions of the hemisphere in drumming up new business for the airport.
The west side redevelopment of LIMA will be underway soon, with $70MM of investment in the works to create new homes for the major FBOs at the airport, Shelt-air, Mid-Island Aviation, and ExcelAire. The supervisor claimed that each business jet based at LIMA generates 5 jobs and a million dollars per year in revenue. Increasing that revenue, especially on the commercial aviation and airline side, is a tall order. Sales cycles for these arrangements are complex and very long, subject to a lot of pressure from outside factors. The supervisor told the tale of Spirit Airlines who were done in almost overnight by the massive run up in oil prices.
The net of Mr. Nolan’s talk was that the airport has been and will continue to be a prime driver of economic development for both the town and Long Island as a region. With prudent fiscal management and smart management, it has been transformed from a sleepy general aviation field to a modern facility that provides an excellent alternative to the Port Authority airports to the west.
Once again it was another educational opportunity to be at LIMBA meeting with an excellent speaker and learn more about a Long Island institution that served as one of the reasons for LIMBA’s founding. Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be of value.
Pictured:Terri Townsend, Ernie Fazio, Supervisor Nolan, Marie Zere

Empire National Bank/Doug Manditch
2010-11-12 00:00
Commercial Banking Update. Meeting at Empire Headquarters.

Mark Lesko, Supv Town of Brookhaven
2010-11-19 00:00
Supervisor Mark Lesko of Brookhaven Town was our speaker this morning. He began by citing the shortsightedness of stopping the Avalon proposal in Huntington. He believes good projects must be built, but did not go into why it was stopped. Nor did he assign any blame. What was clear is that he didn’t want to see that kind of resistance in Brookhaven.
Brookhaven had its’ budget debate last night. He tells us it was not a pretty sight, but in the end a budget was passed. With a great deal of push-back on the unions, the unions finally agreed that they too should share the pain and concessions were made. According to the supervisor the negotiations allowed them to move forward.
The infrastructure needs sewers were discussed, and while new sewers are not possible because of serious budget restraints, there are creative ways of better using those sewers that presently exist. These assets are essential to support beneficial growth.
Lesko pointed out that advances have been made in his "Blight to Light" program where otherwise run down and degraded properties are used to create new, and useable redevelopment.
He asked us to reframe the whole notion of development. We must adopt a wealth development mentality. Instead of an economy based on defense and healthcare, (both of which are supported by tax dollars). We need to explore our ability to mine the research assets that we have. We have these assets in more abundance than most places, and now we have to keep the fruits of that research here and create the next CA, the next google, the next whatever. Mark stated that other sections of the country are doing it and sometimes they are snatching technology from under our noses. (My words not his). We have the good stuff, but we are not capitalizing.
The supervisor pointed out to us that the state controller has to invest huge sums of money to support the state pensions. Only 2% of that money is invested in ideas emanation from the Long Island Region. We must work on our entrepreneurial pace. If we do not, we will create technology that will lured to other places.
The ripple effect has broad implications in every other economic sphere, but real estate in particular. Homebuilders are another important economic segment. Historically entrepreneurial efforts create a lot of losers and a few winners, but those few winners far outweigh all of the losers and often create unimaginable success. When the transistor was invented even the inventors were not sure of the applications. They certainly did not imagine the level of electronic sophistication that we have today, the myriad of products, and the enormous wealth that followed.
Lesko indicated to us that Long Island is not business friendly and that has got to change. Taxes and utility rates are a substantial part of our discouragement of business. Taxes are exacerbated by municipal pensions on every local level because of a pensions system that is called a define benefit plan. When we have a poorly performing stock market, pension funds shrink. The shortfall must be made up in the only way it can be made up, you guessed it, raise the taxes. Atlas is about to shrug and enlightened leaders like Lesko know it.
During the Q&A the questions were pointed and filled with concern. A few ideas were proffered and the supervisor was listening. One idea from Marie Zere was a business incubator that would embrace any viable sounding business rather than the technology specific model that we are used to. Mr. Lesko liked the idea.

Thanksgiving Friday no meeting
2010-11-26 00:00

The Shinnecock Indian Nation
2010-12-03 00:00
This morning we held our LIMBA gathering in the beautifully arranged ballroom of the MacArthur Holiday Inn to a near overflowing crowd. Michelle Zere of Zere Real Estate was the main coordinating force behind one of the most significant meetings in LIMBA history today. One of the oldest self-governing Native American tribes and the newest Federally recognized tribe came to us to discuss its culture, history, and plans around its newly recognized status. As the meeting gathered, we were treated to lively holiday music by Mark Seratoff of Marken Music.
The meeting opened with the pledge of allegiance to the US flag, and the sovereign nation contributed a benediction by a reading of the Lord’s prayer accompanied with a native dance by artist and tribe member Edith Wharton Collins. This was followed by a drum and dance performance from Gordell Wright (drum and vocals), Miss Teen Shinnecock Autumn Rose Williams, a student at the Ross School, and Miss Junior Teen Shinnecock, Mattah Wright, a Southampton Intermediate School student. After their performance, the ladies most elegantly introduced themselves in Algonquian and English.
Before the main remarks by Senior Trustee Lance Gumbs, a ten-minute video was shown illustrating the tribe’s history, some of its culture, and its modern economic history, including attempts to foster industry on the reservation, from aquaculture to paint manufacture. An account of its current main revenue source, the annual labor day Powwow was included. A highly professional production, it provided a preface to Trustee Gumbs’s talk on Indian Gaming and can be viewed at the Nation’s website.
Trustee Gumbs opened his talk by explaining the meaning of the word Shinnecock. It is translated into English as “level land”. As is well known, this level land has not been a level playing field for Native Americans since 1640, the first time the Shinnecock encountered European explorers entering Peconic Bay. The nation has been an unknown quantity for the most part, surviving in substandard conditions while surrounded by great wealth and hemmed into a 900 acre reservation.
The nation has survived by engaging in many businesses. They were the earliest whalers and manufacturers of wampum currency. The first mint on Long Island, as it were. In 1792, New York State imposed a governing structure on the nation. This Board of Trustees has had annual
elections each year for 218 years, making it one of the oldest self-governing tribes in the US. Ironically, after such a long documented history of governance, the nation had to battle thirty-two years before finally being granted Federal recognition as an “official” Native
American tribe.
What Federal recognition conveys is access to federal programs and the right to operate Indian gaming. Trustee Gumbs had kind words for President Richard Nixon and his efforts to improve the lot of Native Americans, providing them more access to resources and creating the Indian gaming industry. This opened a line of discussion regarding many misconceptions about what gaming does for tribes and how it affects the surrounding communities.
Across the United States, there are vast disparities in the physical resources that tribes control and have access to. The Pine Ridge reservation encompasses 3 million acres, compared to the Shinnecock’s 900. After much analysis and many attempts at industrialization, the space, land and finance picture for the Shinnecock all point to Indian gaming as a way to improve the future of the tribe. The 2000 census put 60% of the Shinnecock nation below the poverty level. The recent rainouts of the Pow-wow, the main source of revenue for the nation’s government
and development programs, focused the leadership on moving forward with gaming. Trustee Gumbs and Trustee Barre Hamp went through an exhaustive presentation of the economic benefits and regulatory environment surrounding Indian gaming. Indian gaming is also regulated very differently from the gambling environments of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The resources generated by Indian gaming are regulated as to how they can be used and distributed, unlike the large corporately owned Vegas and AC casinos.
A very strong case was made for the economic benefits of Indian gaming to both the Shinnecock and Long Island and New York State. There were at least ten elected officials and staff members in attendance hearing this message at the town, county and federal levels. The concerns around massive traffic jams were addressed and alleviated, and the nation’s commitment to place a gaming facility where it is welcome was heard. Their determination to succeed in this effort was also firmly demonstrated and supported by the audience.
Once again it was another educational opportunity to be at LIMBA meeting with a chance to learn more about Long Island culture and our neighbors that have toiled in relative obscurity for many years. Being able to get beyond the short stories in the print media and sound bites on television was invaluable. Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be a great experience.

Recap by Craig Plunkett, Managing Director of CEDX Corporation,

Annual Special breakfast with entertainment
2010-12-10 00:00
Members and friends, this morning we gathered to wish each other the best of the holiday season and promote our optimism for the future. Our sponsors for the meeting were Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, M & T Bank, the RB Bender Group, Greenman Pedersen, Terry Townsend, Covanta Energy, the Long Island MacArthur Holiday Inn itself, Zere Real Estate Services, Marken Music and Long Island Business News.
After the opening by Ernie, LIBN’s own John Kominicki took the podium to deliver a wickedly entertaining adaptation of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”.
A riotous gift opening/roast of Ernie Fazio was conducted by Michelle Zere and Cheryl poking fun at his well-known liberal bent. Special gifts from Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin were bestowed on Comrad Ernie.

Violinist Jim Graseck entertained us both solo and accompanying Ernie as he crooned Christmas classics. Ventriloquist Vince Dantone and his partner George returned with their most definitely non-PC skewering of prominent audience members. A good time was had by all.
The meeting was coverered for FiOS1 by Waldo Cabrera’s MyLITV.com and taped by Pro Image Studios.
We didn’t have a speaker with a topic, but we most definitely learned something at LIMBA today, about how thick some folks’ skins are, and how generous the holiday spirit is among our members.
Join us most Fridays to become a member of the LIMBA community and partake of the opportunity to learn more about Long Island, the issues that it faces, and meet the people addressing them.

—
Craig Plunkett

Dr Stanley, President , SUNY Stony Brook- "The Future"
2010-12-17 00:00
This morning we were back in at the MacArthur Holiday Inn with a full room of members and friends ready to hear an update on what is happening at SBU, one of Long Island’s most important institutions and its largest single-site employer A biomedical researcher by trade, Dr. Stanley came to SBU eighteen months ago from Washington University in St. Louis, a very different place than Long Island. Much of the time since his arrival has been spent getting to know Long Island, and the state government that SBU is part of. Part of his getting to know the island has been learning of its special gifts and challenges. The university sees its core mission of education as a primary tool in helping to address those needs.
The large academic health center that SBU runs is an important part of maintaining quality of life on Long Island, and the research performed at it helps drive innovation and economic development. Dr. Stanley reminded us that sponsored research from the NIH and NSF helps address the imbalanced flow of Federal tax dollars out of New York State, and urged the audience to support that research in the budget.
A manager at the top of his game, Dr. Stanley demonstrated an encyclopedic knowledge of his business’s metrics, letting loose with a torrent of statistics about the characteristics of the student body and SBUs ranking among its fellow research universities in North America. An institution with a $2.1 Billion dollar budget, 3 Nobel Prize winners, and a medical center that is visited almost 300,000 times per year. SBU is an integral part of Long Island. Co-running Brookhaven National Lab with Battelle, the university partners with other research institutions like the Cold Spring Harbor Lab. It also develops its own particular research centers and incubators, such asLIHTI, which spawned James Simons’ Renaissance Technologies, CEWIT and the new Energy Center, which will have the first Platinum LEED! certified building on Long Island.
Energy research should be a primary focus for the 53 year old institution. To accomplish this and cement SBU into the same group as UC Berkeley, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina it will take the capture of federal dollars to perform that cutting edge research. The challenges to that mission are the current state budget situation and the need to grow the faculty ranks. Dr. Stanley had Bain consulting come in and assess the opportunities to trim costs, but the real solution is to grow your way out of the situation.
To foster this robust growth will require growing tuition revenue to bring SBU from the lower levels of state schools to a more average level. This growth will fund more faculty, support staff, smaller classes, more student support and more research and lab space. It would also enable the university to support more than three thousand additional students.
Another aspirational goal is to create a children’s hospital, which doesn’t currently exist in Suffolk County. The chair of the children’s hospital task force, hotelier John Tsunis was in attendance and excited about the project. State funding had dried up last year, but through the community’s embrace of the project and realization of its importance, the project is beginning to move forward. Good news looks to be on the horizon for the project.
The Q and A was extensive, where we learned that SBU has gotten permission to create a department of Civil Engineering. The focus of most of the questions was how to keep SBU grads on Long Island and how to get them interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs. To that end, the U wants to be an engine of economic opportunity for those grads, and a partner with the K-12 system to foster that interest in STEM, especially among girls and build a pipeline of local students that will end up attending SBU.
Once again it was another educational opportunity to be at LIMBA meeting with an excellent speaker and learn more about a Long Island institution that serves as a keystone of the local economy and a beacon for innovation. Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be of value.
Recap by Craig Plunkett.

Holiday recess no Meeting
2010-12-24 00:00

Holiday recess- New Year message
2010-12-31 00:00
LIMBA’s focus has been on economic issues that center on infrastructure that will create efficiencies in commerce and does so with lees pollution than that which we are trying to replace. 2010 was a challenging year for most of us, but there are a few items in any year that are worth acknowledging. ….. more at limba.net/news.html

Extended holiday recess- no meeting
2011-01-07 00:00

LIMBA Tour of Northport Power Plant & Happy New Year
2011-01-14 00:00
January is powerplant season at LIMBA! This year we visited the largest power station on Long Island and one of the largest on the east coast. Last year at this time, we hosted the Caithness power station. This year, those presenters were in attendance for a great presentation by the NPS. Attendees were treated to a tour of the power station that rivaled an episode of “The Worlds Toughest Fixes” or “Big, Bigger, Biggest”. In the words of Bob Bender, the meeting’s sponsor, it was a chance to look “Behind the Switch” and get a picture of the people, technology and business behind delivering this vital commodity.
Bob Allen, the general manager of NPS, opened our session with a Safety Moment. In a facility this large and with the levels of power involved, things can go bad in a hurry, and preparedness is paramount. Our tour would take us to one of the two control rooms that control the four units, across the turbine deck, and up alongside one of the units undergoing an upgrade and maintenance. Bob reviewed the architecture and operations of the NPS, the largest of 5 steam power stations on Long Island.
A short segment on how power is purchased by LIPA from National Grid and other generators followed, and a breakdown of the National Grid power station management organization. There are about 700 employees that operate, maintain, and manage the powerplants. A quick tour of the steam plants’ history, from Far Rockaway’s start in 1898, to Island Park’s last burning of coal in 1964, to the gas conversion of Northport finishing in 2008.
We then heard the impressive parameters of NPS; its gargantuan capacity of 4150 Megawatts of generating power, its oil storage capacity of 2 Million barrels, the million gallon per minute cooling water flow, and 1000 degree 2500 PSI steam operation, illustrating its brawn. Operating this behemoth efficiently within the extensively regulated environment is a ballet performed by the dedicated staff that takes great pride in their plant and work. Balancing environmental regulations designed to protect fish, with getting the proper mix of oil and gas burning within air pollution requirements, and then coordinating the electrical output minute by minute with the New York Independent System Operator is an effort that demands constant attention to detail.
The plant is fueled by #6 fuel oil supplied by tankers that moor two miles offshore and by the Iroquois gas pipeline which terminates on the property. This discussion segued into a description of the other ways power is generated on and brought to long Island. The NPS used to provide 45% of Long Island’s total power needs, but as the region grew and new plants and transmission lines were added, this share has declined. The Neptune cable from New Jersey brings 600 Megawatts of cheaper power onto LI, but that power is generated by coal-fueled plants, which drop their pollution onto us. The NPS has had over $100 Million invested over the last 15 years to reduce its environmental footprint. The fuel oil they burn has been reduced in sulfur content from 3% or liquid coal, to much cleaner 0.7% sulfur content. The ability to burn cleaner natural gas was introduced. Electrostatic precipitators capture solid p! ollution.
The latest efficiency upgrade was on view during our tour. The steam turbines that turn the generators, are being upgraded to a “Dense Pack”, which increases their efficiency by 3 percent. These retrofits were on full view during our tour. As the turbines are being changed out, the rest of the shutdown unit undergoes extensive maintenance and renovation. We were also able to peer inside the 40 foot square combustion chambers that contain huge fireballs when in operation.
In all, this was a master class in the mechanic, economic, environmental and human factors involved in operating an integral piece of Long Island’s infrastructure. We extend our thanks to National Grid for allowing us to be one of the ten tours that are granted each year. It was a special opportunity to go “behind the switch” and see where our electricity comes from and get to know the facility and people that keep the lights on. An educational opportunity not to be missed.
Recap by Craig Plunkett
Craig Plunkett is Managing Director of CEDX Corporation, a New York consulting firm, specializing in wireless and IT product strategy and technical deployment. Most recently, he served as VP of Wireless Market Development for Cablevision’s OptimumWiFi, North America’s most advanced 4G network, leading the initial network launches and auto-authentication user experience initiative. Craig is a recognized pioneer in the architecture design and deployment of wireless networks serving the consumer, transportation, resort and quick service restaurant vertical sectors. He developed the first fleet-wide motorcoach Wi-Fi service on the Hampton Jitney and is the founder of the Fire Island Wireless WISP

Joseph Perri CEO Gold Coast Bank
2011-01-21 00:00
Gold Cost Bank will host this meeting. "The perspective of an active community Bank" will be the topic.
Joseh Perri, president will speak on behalf of the bank.
Meeting will be held at Gold Coast Bank Main office located at
2929 Expressway Drive North
Islandia, NY 11749

BlureWater Wind
2011-01-27 00:00
The technology of wind generation is a constantly improving science and we have a leader in the field to give us an overveiw of what we can expect for Long Island (more dtails to follow)

Nassau County Executive Hon. Edward Mangano at Adelphi.
2011-01-28 00:00
This morning we were invited to Adelphi University’s beautiful Garden City campus to hear Ed Mangano speak about the current issues facing Nassau County. Our meeting was opened by Dr. Robert Scott, Adelphi’s President, who proudly noted the latest energy efficient LEED certified buildings across the campus on the other side of Long Island’s largest geothermal plant. The plant is hidden by an ample parking lot, which will come in handy as the University hosts the 2011 NCAA Division II and III Women’s Lacrosse championships this May.
This meeting was sponsored by LIFT, whose Executive Director, Bill Whalig, gave us a quick update on the progress on the various programs offered by LIFT, its cooperation with Brookhaven National Labs and Stony Brook University. He also brought us current on the progress of the Advanced Material and Manufacturing Technology Innovation CenterMorrelly Homeland Security Center, an important piece of our speaker’s revival of the Grumman property in his hometown of Bethpage.! and the
Confronting the recent headlines regarding NIFA’s takeover, Mr. Mangano opened with a review of the progress that his administration has made in its first year. He identified the tax assessment process and their systems as a key factor in the financial difficulties that have built up over the past decade. This has resulted in a large amount of borrowing necessary to fund the system developments, fixes and the resulting tax refunds. His team is implementing a plan to get the system back on track where after 2013, property tax refunds will be funded out of operating revenues rather than being borrowed.
In preparation for this, the Executive recommended that all property owners review their assessments, because these assessments are provisional right now, but will be made permanent in 2016.
Moving on to current events, Mr. Mangano defended his repeal of the energy tax, and his balancing of the budget, noting that 2010 will go into the books has having a surplus. Spending was cut, and 610 jobs were shed. The budget surplus was accomplished without increasing taxes, and while more unfunded state mandates were handed down, along with increased pension obligations. He characterized NIFA’s “drumbeat of doubt” as misplaced.
Further outlining accomplishments, he cited the return of 125 police officers to street patrol through attrition and having civilians fill the administrative positions that were vacated, reducing expenses and pension obligations. He has opened negotiations with the CSEA union to review their contract. He views NIFA’s intervention as adding uncertainty to the contract renegotiation process and increasing taxpayer expenses by adding a layer of review to several layers already in place that are serving adequately.
He asserts that NIFA is sounding the alarm unnecessarily, especially when ending the year with a surplus. NIFA’s proposed solutions amount to tax increases, and he has not heard any NIFA recommendations on expense reductions. In closing, he reiterated that keeping spending flat when stuck with onerous contracts and unfunded mandates is a herculean task. However, he has emphasized that the public employees of Nassau County are working as hard as their private sector counterparts to maintain the level of services that they have come to expect of the county.
Once again it was another opportunity to be at LIMBA meeting with an excellent speaker that you normally can only assess when filtered through the media. Amiable and poised during a stressful point in his administration, it was a pleasure to host the County Executive in a fine setting provided by one of Long Island’s premier academic institutions. Please join us for these Friday morning sessions that finish the work week off on a high note and never fail to be of value.
Recap by Craig Plunkett.
