Friday, February 4, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
My Most Recent LIBN Column: Clusters Can Create Jobs if Zoning Will Get Out of the Way...
Long Island can lead the way as America strives to
compete. The past few weeks have seen
significant movement that can benefit our intellectual institutions and has the
potential to spur massive economic growth.
Last week Senator Schumer joined with leaders from Stony Brook
University, Cold Spring Harbor Labs and BNL to push for a regional innovation
cluster. This week Brookhaven Supervisor
Mark Lesko continued the call when he announced Accelerate LI at his State of
the Town. And President Obama stressed
the need to invest in technology and education in the State of the Union.
Schumer and Lesko are smart to push a regional innovation
cluster for Long Island because that's exactly the direction of federal policy.
Originally an idea that was born out of Harvard Business School, the
Administration and Congress has funded various new programs promoting clusters
through the Departments of Commerce and Energy. And more recently, Congress
passed the COMPETES Act, which created a new federal cluster program aimed at
efforts like those being spearhead on Long Island. These new programs put a
premium on linking research institutions, business organizations, and private
investors. That's exactly what we need on Long Island.
Programs like these have the potential to transform local
economies if they are executed properly.
It will fall on local government to assure that new industries born
through these partnerships have the opportunity to grow. If local government doesn’t provide quick
approvals and incentives for innovators and investors to build their businesses
when they leave the institutions, jobs created by our innovation cluster will
leave the island, just as they have in the past.
I am confident that the institutions above along with North
Shore/LIJ’s Feinstein Institute, Hofstra, Adelphi and LIU will produce great minds with
great ideas. They in turn will develop
companies capable of creating good jobs.
They have in the past, but can we keep them here? It’s time for Long Island governments to wake
up! In the face of one of the worst
economic climates in history, some LI towns are putting ultra-parochial concerns
before regional needs by saying no to good projects that can produce jobs, stimulate
the local economy and provide homes for young professionals. We can build these companies, but where will
their employees live.
I have often used this space to talk about how our region changed
from a farming and fishing community to a region with a population the size of
Chicago. We have all of the problems of
major cities but we pretend we live in Mayburry when we zone. That’s got to change or we might as well take
the money we are investing in clusters and light it on fire.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
LIBN Column: Public Officials, Public Events...
Below is the Text from my LIBN Column published today 1/14/2011
I've been there, retail politics with a high-profile elected
official. In my case, it was US Senator
Chuck Schumer on whose staff I served for nearly 6 years. Chuck loves retail and does it often and
well. He spends countless hours on LIRR
platforms, in front of supermarkets and at countless parades and
festivals. He listens to everyone, even
people who disagreed with him. Chances
are if you have gone to the Oyster Fest, Riverhead or Huntington Fall Festivals
you have seen the Senior Senator talking with his constituents and enjoying the
local corn. He loves getting and I loved
being with him, even though it often meant working weekends and always added to
my workload. Elected officials exist to
serve the public and you can’t serve the public if you’re not willing to go to
them.
I never worried that a public event would end in
violence. To think a nameless, faceless
thug would attempt to take the life of an elected official for any reason is
unfathomable, even today. While
rhetoric employed in modern politics has received greater attention in the wake
of the Arizona shootings, it’s nothing new.
Jefferson once referred to John Adams as a hermaphrodite, and there are
countless examples of heated politics in our history. I’m sure we will debate what effect the tone
of the last election had, but clearly this was an act of insanity and
fanaticism that has no place in our republic.
After what happened in Arizona, elected officials and staffs
across the nation are likely reconsidering how they interact with voters. I’m confident this won’t stop them all from
participating in retail politics, but it will certainly stop some. Let’s hope the lasting impact of Arizona
won’t be less access to our leaders by regular people who need their help and
rarely have opportunities to interact with members of congress.
I pray that Giffords survives and goes back to that Safeway
for a “Congress on Your Corner” event soon, and I hope that others don’t hide
in their offices as a result of what happened in Arizona.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Representative Giffords shooting discussed...
I appear on Fox News Saturday w/ Angela McGlowan to discuss the tragic events in Arizona. I would love your thoughts on this appearance....
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