The next meeting of the
Long Island Business Council is April 13th!
Please save the date for the next Long Island Business Council meeting on April 13th from 8 to 10 am at the Sustainability Institute of Molloy College in Farmingdale at 7180 Republic Airport.
The meeting agenda includes:
Introduction: Rich Bivone & Bob Fonti, Long Island Business Council Co-Chairs
Guest Speaker: Rachel Gold, Special Counsel to NYS Department of Labor - NY Youth Works Program
Guest Speaker: E. Christopher Murray, President of Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce - The high
cost of electricity on Long Island and possible rate-reducation programs
Panel Discussion - Projects of Regional Significance: "NYS Planning vs Town &
Village Home Rule"
Case example: Cerro Wire
Howard Avrutine, The Cerro Wire Coalition
Representative - Taubman Companies (invited)
Moderator: Dave Winzelberg, Long Island Business News
Please RSVP today at ck@visionlongisland.org or by calling 1-877-811-7471
Long Island Business Council is a group of small business leaders who are dedicated to regulatory relief, tax and utility stabilization for the average small business owner in additon to infrastructure investment towards our downtowns. We take our message to Albany and Washington as part of the Long Island Lobby Coalition and other regonal initiatives.
If you're interested about our most recent meeting, please read the full write-up listed below. We look forward to seeing you on the 13th!
NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos keynotes Long Island Business Council event
Pictured: NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos
Pictured (L-R): Dave Winzelberg - Long Island Business News, NYS Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Rich Bivone - LIBC Co-Chair, NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Bob Fonti - LIBC Co-Chair, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Neal Lewis - Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, Brandon Palanker - Renaissance Downtowns
Pictured (L-R): Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, Lionel Chitty - Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, Jeannine Maynard - Uniondale Community Council, Charles Gardner - Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, Salvatore Ferrara - Electrical Training Center
Pictured (L-R): Patrick Curry Esq., Warren Tackenberg - Nassau County Village Officials Association, Rich Bivone - LIBC Co-Chair, Bob Fonti - LIBC Co-Chair, Michael Watt - Long Island Inc.
Pictured (L-R): John Durso - Long Island Federation of Labor, Michael Harrison - Work Force Development Institute, Bob Feldman - BF Development, Rich Bivone - LIBC Co-Chair, George "Butch" Starkie - Village of Farmingdale Mayor, James McCaffrey & Linda Bianculli - Town of Oyster Bay
Pictured (L-R): Sandy Berland - Huntington Town Democratic Committee, Huntington Town Councilwoman Susan Berland, Bob Fonti - LIBC Co-Chair, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, NYS Assemblyman Dave McDonough, John Carracciolo - JVC Broadcasting, Tammy Mehlsack - Top of the World Limo
Pictured (L-R): Keith Archer - Harras, Bloom & Archer, NYS Supreme Court Justice Peter Skelos, NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Craig Rizzo - Bartlett, McDonough & Monaghan, Katheryn Laible & Trudy Fitzsimmons - Leadership Huntington
Pictured (L-R): Wayne Edwards Esq., Bruce Migatz - Albanese & Albanese, Jeff Greenfield - NGL Insurance Group, Rich Bivone - LIBC Co-Chair, Paul Spano - Spano Abstract Service Corp, Mark Vincent Cruze - AIA LI Chapter, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi
On February 20th NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos appeared before the Long Island Business Council with a message of what a bipartisan state government can do for small business on Long Island.
Skelos started by recounting a meeting between himself and then-newly elected Governor Andrew Cuomo wherein they agreed that the dysfunctional nature of Albany was doing more harm than good and needed to stop. “We have to start talking to each other instead of shouting,” Skelos said. “When there is shouting, no one hears. We have philosophical differences, but we have to try to resolve those differences to get things done.”
Skelos also drew applause when he spoke about the repeal of the MTA tax for Long Island businesses as one of those bipartisan agreements that was easily attainable. The repeal of the tax had been a major goal for the Long Island Business Council, according to East Meadow Chamber of Commerce Vice President Dolores Rome. Removing the tax allowed the businesses from the chambers to reinvest in themselves. “It allowed them to put money back into their businesses and they really needed that,” said Rome, who also noted that Skelos has a “willingness to always look out for small businesspeople.”
Skelos mentioned another potential bipartisan goal: to keep more existing businesses here on Long Island while also encouraging new businesses to settle here through the reduction of property taxes and mandates and stabilizing utility prices. He pointed out that education may be an area where these savings were possible. “Making it more affordable to live on Long Island is critically important,” he said while also noting that Long Island has lost numerous jobs specifically due to affordability.
Skelos also noted that $101 million in funding is slated for investing in 66 high-tech "economic backbone" business ventures on Long Island including Stony Brook University, Cold Spring Harbor labs and Hofstra University.
Also discussed at the meeting was the recently completed federal study conducted by Dowling College. This study included numerous suggestions for improving small business on a local, state and federal level. The study includes information drawn directly from over 100 local Long Island businesses and will be used to guide legislation aimed directly at bringing relief to small business owners.
The Long Island Business Council is chaired by Rich Bivone of RMB Drafting and Bob Fonti of Vincent James Management Company. Joining the group on that day were NYS Assemblyman Andrew Raia, NYS Assemblyman David McDonough, Huntington Councilmembers Mark Mayoka, Eugene Cook and Susan Berland, Islip Councilmember Steve Flotteron, Suffolk County Legislators William “Doc” Spencer and Tom Cilmi, Robert Moore representing US Congressman Steve Israel and NYS Supreme Court Judge Peter Skelos.
The event was cosponsored by Vision Long Island and the Sustainability Institute of Molloy College.
You can read more on the meeting in Long Island Herald’s article.
Pictured (L-R): John Durso - Long Island Federation of Labor, NYS Assemblyman Dave McDonough, NYS Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Rich Bivone - LIBC Co-Chair, NYS Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Bob Fonti - LIBC Co-Chair, Eric Alexander - Vision Long Island, Neal Lewis - Sustainability Institute at Molloy College, Suffolk County Legislator William "Doc" Spencer, Huntington Town Councilman Mark Mayoka, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, Bob Moore - SCPD Chief of Department (Retired), Craig Rizzo - Bartlett, McDonough & Monaghan