HomeEditor's LetterWelcome to the election edition of Road Warriors!

Welcome to the election edition of Road Warriors!

By Jaime Franchi

It’s election season, and no matter where you go, you cannot help but run into an ad, aGovernor Paterson political commentary on social media, a lawn sign, or a text from party leadership begging for a “small” donation. As 2024 barrels toward November, those of us at LICA are keeping our eyes on the prize: infrastructure.

Our cover feature is none other than David Paterson, former governor of New York. Paterson is a treat to all who are lucky enough to get to know him, present company included. Having him sit in my office in Melville was surreal, especially after I’d done my homework and read his autobiography *Blind, Black, and In Charge*. Learning that because he’d never learned to read braille, he would memorize hour-long speeches as part of his duties in the office of the governor was so impressive to me. His humor, his intellect, and his vast historical knowledge of New York State politics come through via his exceptional storytelling. In this story, we hear about his roots in Hempstead and how his work with Sands New York is like coming home again.

Keeping our eyes on the prize: infrastructure

To continue along this election theme, we hear from Jeremy Cooney, New York State Senate Transportation Chair, about his vision for infrastructure and transportation investment across the regions; Jerry Kremer, Chairman of Empire Government Strategies and a 23-year veteran of the State Assembly (and the only official from Long Island to serve as the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee), who offers analysis of the upcoming election and its implications for Long Island; Vinny Alu, the newly elected Business Manager for Laborers Local 66; Long Island Political Party Leaders Joe Cairo, Jesse Garcia, Jay Jacobs, and Richie Schaffer about how the upcoming election can affect our region’s infrastructure needs; and finally, LICA’s own Marc Herbst, who believes that the time for a Nassau/Suffolk Metropolitan Planning Organization has come.

If you have any suggestions (or praise!), drop me a line at Jfranchi@licanys.org. As always, we thank you for the work you do to keep Long Island running. We look forward to a productive season and urge everyone to stay safe out there.

Thank you,
Jaime

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