Just after 7 a.m., Long Island environmentalists, along with labor, transportation and business leaders, boarded a bus to the state’s capital for the first-ever “Long Island Lobby Day” on Monday, June 8. Although opinions differed on some issues, there was one common thread: working together for LI. Unfortunately, they picked the day that Albany experienced one of its most dramatic upheavals in decades.
Long Island Lobby Day lobbyists at the New York State Capitol building on Monday, June 8.
The goal, according to Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment and an organizer of the trip, was to “put Long Island back on the agenda.” But after spending the day chatting up Democratic state officials, the news broke shortly after leaving Albany that the New York Senate majority leader’s post was seized by the Republicans—putting Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) in control for a second time.
En route, the anticipation was reminiscent of a school field trip as then-Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) called Esposito last-minute to confirm a 10:30 a.m. meeting with Esposito, and co-organizer Eric Alexander, executive director of Vision Long Island, had contacted Smith 16 times before he responded.
Upon arrival and after hurrying inside the New York State Capitol building to review the agenda, Smith burst in, happily shaking hands with the more than 30 people in the room, including representatives of the Long Island Federation of Labor, Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and the Suffolk Community Council, among many others. Smith took special interest in Vision Long Island’s interns, insisting that they sit next to him.
“We went from being treated fairly to being ignored to being somewhat abused and neglected,” Esposito told the senator as the group began their pitch. From sewers to energy, transportation to human services and the economy—Smith got an earful. The Long Island Power Authority’s $6.8 billion debt was stressed.
At the start, Smith seemed distracted—at one point interrupting to offer jobs to the interns—but became more focused with time. He said the state expects another round of stimulus money, so they should stay in touch.
A half-hour later, the group split up to meet Assemblyman Bob Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), since Smith took longer than expected. They regrouped in the “War Room” to meet with Gov. David Paterson’s Chief of Staff Larry Schartz, who sent Deputy Secretary for the Environment Judith Enck in his place. After emphasizing the need to focus on shovel-ready projects for federal stimulus funds, Enck took a defensive tone and said they were making it sound like it is “Long Island against the world.”
Then-Minority Leader Skelos was up next, but he canceled. Working through lunch, it was on to a meeting with Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), who agreed with the advocates on many issues, especially transportation, proving that finding a sympathetic ear among the Long Island delegation was not always a tall task.
By 1 p.m., the lobbyists held a news conference to reiterate their message, except the only press to show were reporters from LI.
Later in the day, the group met with Brian Foley (D-Blue Point), who agreed that the “fundamental flaw” with LIPA was the debt that it inherited. “I know that today is Long Island Day, but I want to let you know that Long Island Day is every day for me,” Foley said before he left for another meeting.
Rounding out the day was a meeting with Speaker Sheldon Silver’s senior staff, who disagreed over the Heartland project—a “smart growth” development planned in Brentwood—after the group said the state Department of Transportation should do an analysis before the planning is done. Silver’s staff disagreed, since the DOT usually comes in at the end of the planning stages. In the end, they agreed to disagree.
An hour later, the group boarded the bus, relaxed, cracked open beers and began gauging the days’ successes. “It’s an inconvenient truth when we speak with one voice,” Alexander said. “It goes through the mask of ‘everything is great on Long Island and we’re prospering’ and reveals the real issues.”
Esposito reflected as well. “We truly unified our voice and flexed our muscle, and we want to continue to do this type of collaboration and efforts,” she said. “Survival can build some pretty strong bridges, and I think Long Island is desperate to survive. We all got together at the right time,” she added, unaware of the statement’s impending irony.
But then everything changed. News arrived that two senators from New York City defected, in effect giving Republicans control. The lobbyists were visibly dumbfounded that some of the leaders they spoke with no longer had the power they had in the morning.
After sharing a laugh, Esposito stayed positive. “Our message has always been bipartisan,” she said. “Everything is the same, our needs are the same and our work is the same. Maybe the Senate changed because we were up there,” she added with a laugh, since the new Senate Majority Leader is from Long Island (as of press time, anyway).
No matter. After 7 p.m. and once back on the Island they spent the day lobbying for, the group was already planning the next lobby day.
