Contenders for Nassau's MTA Board rep

Daily Point

Will old Mackie be back?

There are two stories behind David Mack's departure from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.

Mack says he withdrew his name after waiting hours for a confirmation hearing that never happened. Mack says he was told to get to Albany at 9 a.m., he waited until just before 3 p.m., but the hearing hadn't happened and he couldn't wait any longer and had to return to New York City for a Northwell Health board meeting.

Others, however, say Mack's lengthy MTA Board tenure ended after he lacked the support of key state senators on the Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee, which governs the MTA, along with those on the transportation and finance committees.

Sources confirmed to The Point that a group of state senators, from Long Island and beyond, met in an informal, private gathering last week after Hochul sent over her nominations, including Mack's. Multiple senators didn't want Mack's tenure on the MTA Board to continue, sources said. While no vote was taken in the private session, it was clear support for Mack, who has represented Nassau County since 2019 and was first appointed more than 30 years ago, had waned.

Timing also was a factor. MTA Board appointment confirmations came as the legislative session was drawing to a close last week. Mack told The Point he was told to come to Albany Thursday morning, adding that State Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jeremy Cooney texted him the confirmation would not be a problem. But in the end, Cooney was absent due to the birth of his first child.

State Sen. Leroy Comrie, who heads the corporations committee, is responsible for leading MTA hearings and confirmations. But State Sen. John Liu, who had voiced concerns about Mack's tenure back in 2022, also made his feelings known in the private session.

"I'm not trying to cast aspersions on anybody here but ... I think there are plenty of fish in the pond and we don't need to go after the same old carp," Liu said. "I'm 100% certain there are many people out there who can capably and willingly and happily fill the shoes." Sources noted that the truth of what happened may be something in the middle.

"He expected to be approved and appointed and when he saw it wasn't going anywhere, he left," one source told The Point. Mack wasn't a particularly vocal participant in many board conversations, at some points even seen sleeping during meetings. When Mack did speak up, it was often part of larger controversies, as the sole opponent of congestion pricing, or in very public battles with MTA Chairman Janno Lieber over more personal issues like police parking placards. For now, Nassau is without an MTA Board member, though Long Island does have Suffolk rep Marc Herbst and Hochul pick Sammy Chu. And Mack said he hasn't decided if he wants to keep doing the job.

"I'm thinking about this now, but I don't know if I want to deal with that bureaucracy," Mack said. "If I want it, I'm sure the governor and Bruce [Blakeman] will support me. Everything is fine. It really is my decision."

Since Mack first joined the MTA Board in 1993, every Nassau County executive has sought to reappoint him — even after he was forced to resign in 2009 when he refused to cooperate with an investigation into the state police by then-Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo. Mack, a real estate executive, campaign donor and philanthropist, finally secured a reappointment in 2019, when then-Gov. Cuomo relented and reappointed him.

To become a county representative, the county executive sends three names to Gov. Kathy Hochul, who nominates one for confirmation by the State Senate. If Mack doesn't want to be considered again, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman could be the first in 30-plus years to come up with three choices that don't include the name David Mack.

So if not Mack ... then who?

If Blakeman were to choose someone new, he'd be looking for a Nassau resident who straddles a tricky line — a person whom Blakeman trusts, but also whom Hochul would approve. It's always a plus if the nominee has a knowledge of transportation, transit or finance. His two other picks on this year's list were attorney John Ragano and retired Supreme Court Justice Jack Libert, chief of staff to Hempstead Town Supervisor John Ferretti.

Beyond that, in conversations with multiple observers, The Point found one name appeared on nearly every list: former State Sen. Chuck Fuschillo. Fuschillo, a Republican, headed the Senate's Transportation Committee when he served in Albany, so it's unsurprising that he'd emerge as a potential pick. And he's been on observers' short lists before, including in 2022, when Blakeman first chose Mack.

Fuschillo wasn't the only former Albany elected official in the mix. Former State Sen. Michael Balboni rose on several possible lists — but Balboni's recent ascension as the president of Adelphi University may keep him too busy. Some pointed to outgoing State Sen. Jack Martins as a possible pick, but Martins' opposition to the Long Island Rail Road's Third Track makes his advocacy for transit murky. And former State Sen. Michael Venditto has been suggested as a potential pick, too. Among the choices are others who've had Republican political ties for decades, including former Hempstead Town Supervisor Rich Guardino, the executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Council.

Outside the political realm, Kyle Strober, who heads the Association for a Better Long Island, and engineer John Cameron, who chairs the Long Island Regional Planning Council, came up often. Others include attorney Laureen Harris, developer Peter Florey, engineer Steven Fangmann, Nassau County Industrial Development Agency Chairman William Rockenseis and former MTA official Christopher Boylan, director of transportation and infrastructure for Harris Rand Lusk, an executive search firm.

Even if Blakeman makes his picks soon, the State Legislature would have to convene a special session for anyone to start serving before the end of the year. Liu told The Point that was "not an impossibility."

"If an urgent issue arose, I don't believe we would be unwilling or incapable of holding a confirmation hearing," Liu said.

Martins told The Point that's what has to happen.

"I do think there is absolutely a responsibility on the part of the governor and the Senate to make sure Nassau County is not left without a voice on the MTA for the next year just simply because they forwarded that nomination at the very last day of session," Martins said.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Presidentially blind

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Final Point

Mostly red at this red, white and blue celebration

Looking for a "Star-Spangled" way to celebrate America's 250th birthday? Then "Saving the Nation — Bootcamp for Patriots" has what you're hankering for.

Hosted by the Association of Mature American Citizens, which markets itself as "the conservative alternative to AARP," the event will be held June 19-20 in Ronkonkoma at The   America First Warehouse, dubbed "America's Most Patriotic Venue." The boot camp itself is advertised as "... more than an event—it's a celebration of 250 years of liberty and the people who keep that spirit alive."

The festivities kick off Friday with an all-day visit from one of the six Freedom Trucks, part of freedom250.org's national celebrations. Each Freedom Truck is a museum on wheels that brings "the story of America's founding directly to communities across the nation."

Friday also features an "All-American Barbeque" with "all the fixings served up with patriotic flair," live music and a live broadcast of "Live From Studio 6B," a conservative talk show described on LI News Radio's website as a home for those "Sick of the freak parade on the Main Stream Media?"

Saturday is the actual boot camp, according to the website, featuring keynote speakers and the Freedom Truck. Tickets for Saturday's events are $20. One of the keynoters is Assemb. Joe DeStefano, who represents the 3rd Assembly District in Suffolk County. Other speakers include political commentator and investigative journalist John Solomon and Phill Kline, former chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association.

The America First Warehouse has hosted a slew of national right wing figures, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, Michael Flynn, Laura Loomer, Kash Patel, Peter Navarro and Kellyanne Conway.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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