October 29, 2013 CastCast YourYour VoteVote thisthis ElectionElection DayDay andand InsistInsist onon thethe ProtectionProtection ofof • Cast Your Vote this Election Day and Insist on the Protection of our ourour Region’sRegion’s InfrastructureInfrastructure Region’s Infrastructure • Fed Up with the Rhetoric, LICA Brings Road Asphalt Shards to Smithtown Highway Budget Meeting • Long Beach Boardwalk Project Showcases the Success of Bipartisan Cooperation • Key Political Races for Long Island With Election Day fast approaching, the Long Island - Nassau County Executive Contractors’ Association (LICA) is reminding voters - New York State Assembly – that they need to ask their lawmakers to provide the dynamic 2nd District leadership required to protect our infrastructure while putting tens of thousands of - Town of North Hempstead New Yorkers back to work repairing our roads and bridges. Supervisor Taxpayers do not have to look very far to see what happens when elected officials do - Town of Brookhaven Highway not support the role infrastructure plays in creating a viable economic future. A single Superintendent politician can cause enormous harm to the economic fabric of our region and the viability of our region by neglecting to build the foundation upon which our economy, our jobs and our home values depend. LICA and our industry partners will continue to aggressively advocate on behalf of heavy construction which is a proven generator of local jobs and economic spending, noting that one new construction job has a ripple effect of creating three additional jobs throughout the economy. This kind of job creation will provide a significant infusion of dollars into a stagnating economy, spur tax receipts and aid Long Island’s path to economic recovery. LICA is encouraging all its members, employees, family and friends to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 5th, and vote for pro-infrastructure candidates who will genuinely work for the future of Long Island. We have prepared this special edition of 150 Motor Parkway LICA’s Latest to help inform you about candidates running in what are expected to be Suite 307 the most competitive races in this region. Hauppauge, NY 11788-5145 (Continued on next page) Tel: 631.231.LICA • Fax: 631.231.4291 • www.licanys.org • [email protected] October 29, 2013 2 Fed Up with the Rhetoric, LICA Brings Road Asphalt Shards to Smithtown Highway Budget Meeting As reported in Newsday, Long Island Business News, WCBS-TV/Channel 55 and FIOS, LICA brought the issue of roadway abandonment in Smithtown to a recent town board budget meeting on highway spending. The group also sponsored advocacy ads on WINS, WBLI and WBAB to alert highway consumers to the ongoing crisis. Below is the news dispatch from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) which also covered the hearing: ARTBA Affiliate LICA Takes Innovative Approach to Delivering Infrastructure Investment Message Marc Herbst, executive director of the Long Island Contractors’ Association (LICA), an ARTBA chapter affiliate in New York, delivered a wheelbarrow full of asphalt shards to the Smithtown Town Council budget meeting October 24 to underscore what LICA called the “dreadful condition of town roads and [the] Town Hall’s continuing refusal to fix, repair or resurface them.” “We’d rather not bring the road to you,” Herbst said, “We’d rather have you build roads that bring Smithtown into the future.” Herbst pointed out that Smithtown’s investment in roads is the lowest on Long Island, leading to what he called “a virtual abandonment of its infrastructure.” LICA estimates that in 2008, the town was investing $49 per resident and in 2012 the number was less than half that amount, $21 per resident. October 29, 2013 3 LICA Executive Director Marc Herbst (third from left) and Dick O’Kane, President of the Nassau/Suffolk Building Trades (center) join team members from Grace Industries and LIRO Engineering to make final inspection of the reconstructed Long Beach Boardwalk before its grand opening. Long Beach Boardwalk Project Showcases the Success of Bipartisan Cooperation LICA member Grace Industries LLC can take a well- deserved bow for completing work on the legendary Long Beach Boardwalk as an extraordinary gathering of elected officials fastened the last remaining planks in place last week. Leading Democrats Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senator Charles Schumer were joined by GOP standard bearer Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano in a bipartisan display that underscored what can be accomplished when both sides of the aisle work together. Senator Schumer, who pushed for federal money for the project, said federal money will cover the entire cost of the reconstruction. Because of the work ethic and skill of Grace Industries, the City of Long Beach began opening sections of the boardwalk as they were completed starting in July. On Friday, officials reopened the entire 2.2 mile long boardwalk to the public, which has become crucial to the community’s economic wellbeing. LICA members Thomas Novelli Contracting Corp. and LiRo Engineers, Inc. must also be recognized for the contributions in restoring Long Beach’s iconic landmark. Demolition of the mangled 2.2-mile boardwalk destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, which included removing all the wooden wreckage as well as railings, lighting and ramps, was completed by Thomas Novelli in February. LiRo Engineers was the project construction management engineer for the new boardwalk. October 29, 2013 4 Key Political Races for Long Island In an effort to keep our members informed, LICA has chosen to highlight four races in Nassau and Suffolk Counties this year. LICA has given each candidate the opportunity to directly address our members and provide a statement in their own words as to why they believe the working men and women of Long Island’s heavy construction public infrastructure industry should support their candidacies. Some of their statements have been edited for space requirements. LICA suggested the candidates remain mindful that our members insist on strong, forceful public officials who will produce real, not rhetorical, solutions to the challenges facing Long Island’s deteriorating infrastructure. They were also told that the chronic unemployment ravaging the construction industry will have a bearing on how their comments are viewed. Nassau County Executive Incumbent Edward Mangano (R), Nassau County Executive My administration has been fortunate to partner with the Long Island Contractors’ Association and its members during the best and worst of times that Nassau County has faced. Over 14-years ago as a County Legislator and Chairman of the Public Works committee, I worked to draft and pass the first prevailing wage and apprenticeship language bill on Long Island. As a son of a union employee, I understand the importance of both and was honored to have sponsored, drafted and passed such important legislation along with a recently approved bill that strengthens both the prevailing wage and the apprenticeship language. I have always prided myself on supporting labor – and especially the Trades - and I will continue to do so. I have heard from so many people that we are in desperate need of jump-starting the economy and bringing Nassau County back to its glory days. That is exactly why I ran for County Executive in 2009. I was honored that the Nassau County residents put their trust in me and I promised that I would root out wasteful spending, eliminate the home energy tax, put more money into the pockets of our residents and, most importantly, not raise your County property taxes for 4 straight years. As a result of these polices, our local economy is witnessing businesses move back to Nassau County and Nassau now has the lowest unemployment rate in the region. I heard it time and time again. Prior to my election and my taking office, Nassau County, under Tom Suozzi, spent $75 million in 2008 and $69 million in 2009 on capital projects. I understood that we needed to jump start our economy and I made it a priority to do so. In 2010, my first year of office, we spent an additional $124 million on capital projects. From improvements to our roads and bridges, sewers and parks, buildings and green spaces - we put people back to work! In 2012, my administration continued our capital projects. Handicapped by NIFA approvals and Hurricane Sandy, we spent over $71 million dollars in 2012 including funds on West Shore Road and Sheridan Avenue, among others. Hurricane Sandy victimized all of us but it was all of you who we called on and you came running to help. Eldor, Hinck, R.J. Industries, Laser, Posillico, Branch, Enteck, Banker, Watercraft Irrigation, thank you, for all of the hard work that your members put into fixing our sewage treatment facility. This included over $15 million in contracts. I know many of you have (Continued on next page) October 29, 2013 5 personally discussed with me the issue of debris removal following Hurricane Sandy. The County awarded over $20 million in emergency contracts to local contractors for debris removal. Laser, Landtek, Inter-County, Carlo Lizza, Nicollia and Grace Industries…they all did an outstanding job! Brothers, I have the experience. I have worked with you as a Legislator and as the County Executive. I have passed legislation then and I have helped to get it passed now. I have fought to get people back to work then and I fight for it now. My door is always open and more importantly we can and will always work together to advance a common agenda for our residents and your membership. Tom Suozzi (D), former Nassau County Executive To the members of the Long Island Contractors’ Association: I will work hard to ensure that the roads and infrastructure of Long Islanders continue to support a strong economic base.