Long Island Leadership convenes in Albany for second annual LI Lobby Day
The coalition met with: Senator Majority Leader John Sampson, Senator Brian Foley, Senator Craig Johnson, Senator Dean Skelos, Senator Chuck Fuschillo, Senator John Flanagan, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assemblyman Chuck Lavine, Assemblyman Phil Ramos, Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, Assemblyman Marc Alessi, Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, Assemblyman Joseph Saladino and members of Governor Paterson’s staff. In addition, the group met with the Environmental Facilities Corporation about Long Island’s sewage infrastructure needs.
Sweeney also expressed support for the environmental issues important to us, stating that though he held a successful roundtable on the subject of cleaning up our children's playgrounds, the bill ended up dying in the Senate. He felt as though they were fighting inertia on this issue. He also expressed interest in our Complete Streets idea, asking for further information.
Despite the chaos in the current political scene in New York, Sen. Foley said that our issues will be at the top of the agenda for the legislature. Senator Sampson stated that his agenda includes creating jobs and cutting taxes and spending. He believed that we could get it done, though he was concerned by the lack of stimulus funds for Long Island, noting that there wasn't enough accountability in their allocation.
Sen. Johnson supported the fix-it-first policy for building and Foley noted that we need to find the bottleneck that keeps these kind of initiatives from moving forward, calling for legislative meetings on the issue. He worked on Universal Design legislation and supported the idea of people aging in place.
Senator Skelos also supported the need to pass the pesticide ban on children's playing fields. Finally, he commented on the payroll tax's importance in economic development, calling on it to be used in a more common sense manner.
Here are some press quotes from participating organizations:
Press coverage from the day can be found in Newsday on Monday and Wednesday, News12 Long Island, and Verizon FiOs 1 News.
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On Tuesday, February 9th, 50 Long Island leaders traveled up in a bus to Albany for the second annual Long Island Lobby Day. The LI Lobby Day Coalition met with over a dozen Senators, Assembly members, senior staff and agencies to remind leaders that Long Island priorities cannot be ignored. There was an overall positive tone throughout the day and the group successfully delivered our message of a vital Long Island agenda.
The day began with a press conference where the group introduced these issues and the themes for the day. Despite the political chaos that seems to have gripped Albany in the past year, Long Island wants and deserves strong leadership. It is possible for lawmakers to deal with their internal issues and make policy at the same time. There has been some good statewide progress over the past few years, such as the Smart Growth Cabinet, but as a whole, we need to refocus politics to the grassroots now. The group emphasized that these are not Republican or Democrat issues, but are universal to all Long Islanders. The proposed action items are all common sense and budget-neutral, as they already exist in some form.
Assemblyman Sweeney supported the idea of sewer improvement, but hesitated at the ability to pay for it, noting that it would take $30 billion over the next 30 years to pay for the entire state's sewer system, which is a huge problem. There is also a reduction of funds from the federal government, creating even more holes and gaps in the system. He also noted that the application system across the board was flawed, which can slow down much-needed projects. Sweeney hasn't seen a single sewer application for Long Island and hoped for a State environmental bond act soon to help battle this problem.
The Assemblyman also expressed support for our transportation platform, noting that a regional bus system was a good idea, though if it happens, we'll need a lot of help. He also mentioned Wyandanch Rising that, once completed, could be an example to the rest of Long Island. Sweeney also addressed our Economic Development concerns- when he was chair of the Science and Technology Committee, he was involved with local businesses. He added that a lot of the things we can do, we must do more of, especially for affordable housing.
A group meeting included Senators Craig Johnson, Senator Brian Foley, and Senate Majority Leader John Sampson.
Both Senators also stated that they were conceptually in support of our issues and that they wanted to get the Coalition's bills passed. Foley is dedicated to growing the economy and lamented how the high cost of sewer programs was holding that back. Foley also agreed on our transportation issues, supporting new bus lines in Suffolk and a stronger emphasis on transit in both counties, adding that the stigma of public transportation being for second class citizens had to end.
Senator Skelos supported our entire transportation platform while asking for further information on the Complete Streets legislation we support. He had some concern over the cost of Universal Design, but was reassured by the long term benefits of aging in place. He supported our sewer initiatives as well, noting the increase in jobs it would provide, putting the State back on the right track for Stimulus funding.
The meeting with the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) included executive staff members Georgia Miller, Sandy Allen and Matt Millea. The EFC provides low cost financing and technical assistance to municipalities, businesses and state agencies for environmental projects. Any federal or state sewer funds are routed through the EFC, and Long Island has struggled in the past to make full use of the agency. The EFC is currently reviewing its funding criteria, and they are hoping to include some Smart Growth requirements. The agency welcomed the Coalition's comments on improving their application process and working together to ensure that Long Island municipalities are educated on the process and benefits it can bring to a downtown.
The final meeting of the day lasted longer and allowed the Coalition to get deeper into the issue areas. Members of Governor Paterson's staff at the meeting included: Peter Iwanowicz (environment), Thomas Congdon (energy) and Jerry Yomoah (infrastructure). Also joining us was Governor Paterson's Long Island representative, Michael Harrison. There was a thorough discussion over the options for reducing LIPA's debt. Alone, LIPA has few options, but one option that can help is federal refinancing legislation that US Senator Chuck Schumer has proposed. There is also the controversial option of selling LIPA plants to NYPA. Two proposals could also help, including the Industrial Incentive program that will give money toward economic development incentives in the State, and the Power for Jobs Bill that expires in May could be extended into a multi-year or permanent program to help new industries. The staff was open to other ideas. 
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