GOVERNMENT LEADERS

Government Leadership

Hon. Michael Balboni
NYS Senator
2004

New York State Senator Michael Balboni represents the 7th Senate District, which is located in the northwest corner of Nassau County on Long Island. The district encompasses the entire town of North Hempstead. It also includes the communities of Elmont, Floral Park, South Floral Park, Stewart Manor, Bellerose, Franklin Square, and part of Hicksville.

Senator Balboni was elected to the Senate in 1997, and before that served eight years in the state Assembly. He currently chairs the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs, which oversees and approves legislation relating to all aspects of homeland security. He also serves on the following standing Senate committees: Aging, Children and Families, Environmental Conservation, Higher Education, Insurance, Judiciary and Labor.

Senator Balboni currently sponsors legislation that would give businesses tax incentives when they collaborate with colleges to create more jobs in New York State. Environmental groups lauded Senator Balboni for his ardent support of New York’s “Neighborhood Notification” law, enacted in 2000 to protect families from pesticide exposure.

As the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Water Resources, Senator Balboni introduced legislation which would require lead testing in school water supplies, and co-sponsored the law banning the use of the gasoline additive, MTBE.

Senator Balboni is a lifelong resident of Long Island. He lives in East Williston with his wife Stephanie and their children: Olivia, Nicholas, Julia and Michaela.

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Assemblyman Steve Englebright’s background in science and education brings an essential perspective to the State Legislature. As a geoscientist, Englebright spent his early career as founding director of the Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences at SUNY at Stony Brook. During those years, Englebright honed his ability to translate complex technical concepts into engaging and informative programs geared for the general public.

As a state legislator, Englebright’s ability to articulate complex scientific issues has made him successful in shaping state public policy that has practical relevance to our lives. For example, the passage of his Solar Choice Act is accelerating development of alternative electrical energy sources and his Pesticide Use Registry Act is advancing study of the probable link between pesticides and breast and other cancers.

First elected to public office in 1983, Englebright served in the Suffolk County Legislature for five terms where he led the effort to protect Suffolk’s groundwater, the Pine Barrens, other unique natural areas, and to limit nonbiodegradable packaging. As chief architect of the County’s Water Quality Protection and Open Space programs, Englebright’s land-acquisition strategies doubled the size of Suffolk’s Park System, making it the largest of any county in the U.S.

Steve Englebright was elected to the State Assembly in a special election in February of 1992. Standing Committee Assignments include Agriculture, Education, Energy, Higher Education, Tourism, Arts and Sports Development.

He was recently appointed as the Chair of the Assembly Committee on Aging. Among his major objectives in that role is to improve the support mechanisms that enable older New Yorkers to maintain the independence that comes with continuing to live in their own homes.

Assemblyman Englebright’s interest in protecting the natural character and cultural heritage in his district is exemplified by his authorship of the Long Island North Shore Heritage Area Act, which offers protection of the entirety of the 4th Assembly district and the historic NYS Rte 25A corridor by its designation as a state heritage area.

The 4th Assembly District is situated on the north shore of Long Island and encompasses the historic maritime communities that developed around the harbors of Stony Brook, Setauket, Port Jefferson and Mt. Sinai, in addition to Port Jefferson Station and segments of Centereach, Selden, Holtsville, and Ronkonkoma. A Setauket homeowner since 1973, Assemblyman Englebright has two daughters, Christina Marie and Jennifer Lynn.

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For over three decades Tom DiNapoli has served the residents of Nassau County as community activist, political leader and elected official. Throughout his career as a public servant he has been known as a problem solver with a vision toward the future, and a doer in a world of talkers.

Assemblyman DiNapoli first gained recognition in 1972, at the age of 18, as the youngest person In New York State to hold public office when he was elected as a Trustee of the Mineola Board of Education . This elelction prompted the passage of legislation, signed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller, establishing the right of 18 to 21 year-olds to hold public office in New York State.

DiNapooli served on the school board for ten years, including two terms as President. In 1986, Tom was elected to the New York State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District in Northwestern Nassau County. During his 16 years in the State Assembly DiNapoli has served as Chairman of the Standing Committiees on Local Government, Governmental Operations, Consumer Affairs and Protection, Ethics and Guidance and the Assembly Task Force on the Long Island Sound. Currently, he serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation and Co- Chair of the Legislative Commission on Water Resource Needs of New York State and Long Island.

Emphasizing his dedication to issues such as education, environment and budgeting, in addition to chairing the Environmental Conservation Committee, DiNapoli serves as a member of the Standing Committees on Education, Ways and Means and Veterans Affairs. DiNapoli’s 16 years in Albany and strong working relationship with members from both political parties has enabled him to make important, long lasting contributions to the people of Long Island and New York State.

Since his election in 1986, Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli has earned a reputation as one of the State’s leading voices on environmental issues. He has championed efforts to preserve open space, restore the Long Island Sound, and numerous measures to ensure the quality of our drinking water and protect surface and groundwater resources throughout the State. He crafted the landmark ”Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act,” initiated the establishment of the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, secured passage of the nation’s first statutory phase-out of the ground water contaminant – MtBE and sponsored the “Oil Spill Prevention and Contingency Act.”

Last session, his first as Chairman of the Environmental Conservation Committee, DiNapoli led the effort to restore full funding to the Environmental Protection Fund and to legislation he sponsored protecting 300 acres of open land at SUNY Old Westbury. Most recently, he helped secure the preservation of 51acres of the Underhill Property in Nassau County.

As a champion of education, Assemblyman DiNapoli continues to work to provide state aid to maintain Long Island’s high educational standards and to provide access to higher education for all. Tom has also sponsored bills increasing availability of absentee ballots for school elections, encouraging sharing of administrative services between school districts, requiring a single voting day for Long Island’s school budget votes and making school bus rides safer for our children.

For seven years he worked with breast cancer activists, and health, school and environmental advocates to require neighbor notification before pesticide spraying. This was heralded as the “most a comprehensive legislation of its type in the nation.”

The Council of State Governments has named Tom DiNapoli a Toll Fellow as one of America’s 33 “emerging State leaders.” He has been hailed as a “hero” by the Healthy Schools Network, and “Legislator of the Year” by Environmental Advocates. This year, he has been selected by NYS Audubon to receive the William Hoyt Environmental Award for his leadership on environmental and conservation issues.

Legislator Viloria Fisher has been a longtime advocate for affordable and workforce housing serving on the Suffolk County Workforce Housing Commission. In 2004, she co-sponsored legislation for Suffolk County to fund fifteen million dollars in land and infrastructure to support the construction of workforce housing.

Today, the Hon.Vivian Viloria-Fisher is being honored for introducing the most creative open space bond act to be seen on Long Island in recent history: the Suffolk County Save Open Space (SOS), Farmland Preservation, and Hamlet Parks Fund. While any successful open space initiative deserves applause, what is most remarkable about this particular piece of legislation is that it also seeks to address Suffolk County’s critical need for workforce housing.

This issue, which was passed for voter’s determination on the 2004 ballot sets aside $75 million for the preservation of open space. $30 million will be used for the acquisition of parcels intended for passive, non-recreational use -- pure land preservation; $35 million will purchase the development rights on existing farmland so it will remain as such, and $10 million will be spent to create Hamlet Greens, Hamlet Parks or Pocket Parks providing needed public space.

Under this law, the County reserves the right to transfer the development rights of acquired properties -- excluding those transactions involving farmland -- for the exclusive purpose of providing workforce housing. This is an extraordinarily bold step, particularly given the public’s historically strong resistance to affordable housing. To the public’s credit, it appears they are beginning to realize the impact the housing shortage is having on the local economy and their own children’s futures. The measure passed.

Despite understandable anxiety from many environmental and civic organizations, Legislator Viloria-Fisher took leadership in advancing this legislation. It is important to note that the County did not take this Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) provision lightly. It has gone to considerable lengths to listen to concerns and to ensure that its implementation will achieve true advances in both housing and preservation. A specific program to administer the TDRs will be established by the Suffolk County Department of Planning and must be approved by an additional resolution. The transferred rights can only be used for homes costing $250,000 or less. Furthermore, they will not be used simply to develop other sensitive lands, but will instead be directed toward downtown areas where affordable housing -- using Smart Growth principles -- makes the most sense. Furthermore, each sale or use of developmemnt rights will be considered on an individual basis, subject to approval by resolution of the County.

This unique open space bond act is truly remarkable. If implemented correctly, it will effectively address both housing and preservations needs in a very Smart way -- going beyond the compromise of single interests to foster the creation of strong, vibrant, healthy places. Places that afford whole communities for our people, complete with convenient and environmentally friendly access to daily needs.

Government Leadership

Town of Brookhaven
Edward Hennessey, Town Councilman
John Jay Lavalle, Town Supervisor
2003

In 2002 the Town of Brookhaven initiated two Town-wide visioning processes and began a significant shift in their land use policies toward Smart Growth. These changes included focused implementation of the community visions, code changes and staff training in Smart Growth techniques.

In February 2002, a community visioning process was held in Mastic/Shirley for the corridor of Montauk Highway between the William Floyd Parkway and Barnes Road. Over 600 residents took part in the visioning process, creating a vision for land use policies promoting walkability and village-style development.

That following May, the Town hired a code writer to begin the process of crafting a traditional neighborhood development code for the commercial corridor. In August, the Town issued a 6-month moratorium on development in the focus area, enabling the Town to finish laying needed groundwork without the vision being undermined by conflicting construction applications. This limited moratorium coupled with the Town’s intense effort has been very effective in enabling implementation of the community’s vision.

In May of 2002 the Town also engaged in a visioning process for Middle Island and Coram between County Road 21 and State Road 112. Over 400 community residents attended the visioning weekend, advancing a vision for no roadwidening projects along the corridor and focusing new development in existing village-style centers Internally, the Town has taken steps to train staff and to structure their planning department in a way that facilitates community-based planning initiatives. In June 2002, the Town made a significant investment by sending 14 planning staff members to the Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Florida for training on Smart Growth tools and techniques.

In August of 2002 significant resources were placed in the Town of Brookhaven Planning Department to modernize operations and hire additional staff. In October, the Town hired a new planning director to help implement the Smart Growth agenda.

The leadership of Supervisor John Jay LaValle, Councilman Edward Hennessey and the Planning Department has been critical to their success. Planning staff members who deserve recognition for implementing these policies include: Daniel Gulizio, Commissioner, Brenda Prusinowski, Chief Deputy Commissioner, Larry Costantino, William James, Diane Mazarakis, Linda Peterson, Paul Rogalle, Joseph Sanzano, Craig Tillinghast, and Chip Wiebelt.

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Town of Huntington
Frank Petrone, Town Supervisor
Mark Cuthbertson, Town Councilman
2002

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