Kathy Hochul, New York’s first feminine governor, is aware of Lengthy Island nicely, native leaders say.
As Hochul took workplace on Tuesday within the wake of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation, native leaders shared with LIBN the objectives they hope she is going to assist obtain for the area.
The Lengthy Island Affiliation, for instance, has “had a collaborative working relationship with Gov. Kathy Hochul throughout her total tenure as lieutenant governor and we anticipate no change now that she has grow to be New York’s first girl governor,” Matt Cohen, the group’s president and CEO, instructed LIBN.
That’s the sentiment from many leaders who labored with Hochul. She’s chaired the Regional Financial Improvement Councils and have become well-versed within the area, they mentioned. Now leaders are conserving their concentrate on quite a lot of points that they’re bringing to the eye of the brand new administration.
When Cohen was first named LIA president and CEO, “Hochul instantly reached out to me and got here to my workplace to debate how we are able to rework our regional challenges into financial growth alternatives,” Cohen mentioned.
Matthew Cohen
Terri Alessi-Micelli, president of HIA-LI, mentioned that “throughout her tenure as lieutenant governor, Gov. Hochul has been extraordinarily supportive of HIA-LI and our members, and we appreciated this,” Alessi-Miceli mentioned, including Hochul “realized about our group, and he or she labored with us to study in regards to the particular challenges dealing with the Lengthy Island enterprise neighborhood.”
These challenges now embrace the area’s “financial wants, previous successes and failures,” Kyle Strober, govt director of Affiliation for a Higher Lengthy Island, mentioned. “Will probably be important that Hochul stays pro-business whereas an rebel group of New York Metropolis-based socialists who derailed Amazon’s HQ2 search to drag her to the left.”
And, he mentioned, “Hochul shall be examined instantly by COVID-19. It’s crucial that she jumpstart the stalled $2.3 billion emergency rental help program.”
“There are a lot of points on Gov. Hochul’s plate, however the well being of New Yorkers and the readiness of our healthcare supply system to battle COVID-19 and obtain fairness of care needs to be on the high,” Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Well being, instructed LIBN.
Dowling mentioned it was necessary that Hochul “assist all efforts for suppliers to have continued flexibility to make use of their assets to deal with the rising variety of hospitalizations and associate with the Division of Well being to use the teachings of the previous 18 months to create a extra sturdy, resilient and agile healthcare supply system to equitably take care of all New Yorkers.”
Michael Dowling
COVID’s financial affect weighs closely.
“This previous 12 months, regardless of receiving billions from Washington, New York State raised taxes on its residents digging out of a pandemic-induced financial gap,” Strober mentioned. “What should stop is tax-and-spend insurance policies that are pushing our highest taxpayers out of New York whereas placing the burden on our center class. Hochul ought to go for pro-economic initiatives which might be at no-cost to New York State, i.e.; self-certification and scaffold regulation reform.”
And Lengthy Island’s downtowns are hurting.
This requires “fast-tracking funds for small enterprise which were harm by coronavirus restrictions” as nicely taking “a tough have a look at New York State laws that make working a enterprise untenable,” mentioned Eric Alexander, director Imaginative and prescient Lengthy Island and founding father of LI Fundamental Road Alliance.
And, he mentioned, “We want continued growth of wastewater therapy to enhance water high quality and develop our downtowns.”
“We need to make it possible for Lengthy Island will get its justifiable share of state {dollars} for financial growth and enterprise progress,” Alessi-Micelli mentioned.
Phil Andrews
Phil Andrews, president of Lengthy Island African American Chamber of Commerce, mentioned he hopes Hochul would proceed to “set the bar excessive for MWBE Utilization in New York State. The governor’s workplace is a robust and influential workplace and has the ability to assist deprived communities by way of its workplace of The Division of Minority and Girls-Owned Enterprise Improvement,” whose mission is to “promote equality of financial alternatives for Minority and Girls-owned Enterprise Enterprises and to eradicate obstacles to their participation in state contracting.”
“The enterprise neighborhood has been devastated by the damaging impacts of Covid-19, particularly small companies that are resilient however nonetheless recovering,” Cohen mentioned. “The state ought to proceed to help these enterprise house owners and their workers, join them with the assets integral to their future viability and be certain that entry to that assist is equitable.”
Hochul ought to “preserve her ear to the bottom by listening to the heartbeat” of New York’s small enterprise house owners, Andrews mentioned. “The pandemic has proven us the affect that the lack of small companies has on New York State. I might suggest the governor go on a listening tour all through the areas in New York State to listen to straight from main organizations.”
That features infrastructure.
Hochul ought to maintain the state’s “sturdy infrastructure agenda, guaranteeing tasks just like the East Aspect Assess and LIRR Third Monitor are accomplished on time and work with federal and county officers to maneuver ahead regional transformative tasks just like the Oakdale Merge and Suffolk County sewer growth,” Strober mentioned.
Already aware of Lengthy Island’s “power historical past,” Hochul “ought to present our area with a extra helpful off-shore wind price share and a path to a carbon-free grid with inexpensive prices to the ratepayers,” Strober mentioned.
David Heymann, managing associate of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, mentioned that “as an employer of service trade enterprise,” it was necessary that Hochul “understands that companies right now have lots of flexibility as to the place they and their workers are situated.”
He identified that “offering cheap incentives to maintain companies in New York, particularly when competing with decrease tax-rate states, serves to take care of employment alternatives within the state thereby rising the expertise pool from which we get hold of our workers and generates better income not just for the enterprise and its workers, however different New York companies who serve the employers and workers.
“The pattern popping out of Albany to not be pro-business solely ends in companies closing or relocating out of state, which exponentially reduces the tax base from the lack of these companies and exacerbates the collateral injury to different companies,” he added.
And with the area’s excessive price of residing, “affordability is a disaster state of affairs on Lengthy Island – Lengthy Island can’t shoulder the burden of any new taxes or charges,” Cohen mentioned.
That top price of residing “typically places homeownership out of attain for younger professionals,” Cohen mentioned. “We want a variety of housing choices and will additional deal with different elements like the necessity for good paying jobs and viable youngster care to retain younger individuals.”
We want initiatives that promote job creation, and that deal with the problem of making a viable expertise pool on Lengthy Island,” Alessi-Miceli mentioned. The state must put money into packages that can assist preserve younger professionals on Lengthy Island.
“Our area must increase alternatives for inexpensive housing as a technique for workforce retention and attraction,” Alessi-Miceli mentioned.
“We have to domesticate innovation and entrepreneurship by leveraging our property, together with our world-class analysis amenities and educational establishments, highly-skilled workforce and cutting-edge companies,” Cohen mentioned.
“Lengthy Island is thought for its lovely pure property, and we have to proceed to protect the environment and paved the way with renewable power – together with making Lengthy Island the offshore wind capital of the world,” Cohen mentioned.
With a watch to the longer term, he mentioned, “we look ahead to partnering with Gov. Hochul for the advantage of all Lengthy Islanders.”
Additional insights; different points:
Lengthy Island leaders had a lot to say about Kathy Hochul’s rise to governor and what they hope she is going to convey to the job:
Terri Alessi-Micelli,
president of HIA-LI
As the primary feminine governor in New York State’s historical past, we hope that the younger ladies of Lengthy Island shall be impressed by her instance to pursue management positions in enterprise and authorities.
David Heymann,
managing associate of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone
As a fellow Buffalonian, my hope for Gov. Hochul is that at the beginning, she doesn’t overlook what makes Buffalo the Metropolis of Good Neighbors and brings some humility and civility again to the governor’s workplace and our state capitol. This might solely serve to profit all of New York and its residents.
Jeffrey Reynolds,
president and CEO of Household and Kids’s Affiliation
COVID has helped erase the beneficial properties our state had made in decreasing deadly overdoses and 2021 is on observe to be our deadliest 12 months ever. Now could be the time to spice up New York’s substance abuse prevention packages, improve entry to therapy, strengthen assist for individuals in restoration and increase hurt discount packages, like syringe trade and the distribution of Naloxone. We will save much more lives with packages that can ameliorate the social and financial circumstances which might be fueling lethal gun violence on Lengthy Island and elsewhere.
Louis Vlahos,
associate at Rivkin Radler
The next legislative priorities symbolize my want record for Gov. Hochul:
Get rid of the inventory switch tax
Get rid of NYC’s business lease tax
Scale back the private and company earnings tax charges – stem the outflow of people who pays taxes
If the Feds eradicate the like type trade, decouple from the Feds – preserve the supply alive in NY; require that alternative property have to be in NY
Get rid of the “comfort of the employer” rule; cooperate with NJ and CT to give you a system that advantages all three jurisdictions – begin pondering regionally
Acknowledge the “S company” in NYC
Scale back the property tax fee, eradicate the claw-back for presents made inside three years of loss of life, enable portability of NY’s exemption quantity between spouses
Improve the gross sales tax within the case of luxurious items
Present clearer pointers, better certainty, for giving up NY residency; take into account a one-time departure tax as an alternative
Impose a tax on the funding earnings of well-endowed personal universities
Go after tax fraud – step up cooperation with the IRS
Reorganize, pare again, native authorities
Take a long-term strategy to legislating – companies need certainty, they want continuity
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