Cairo influence in selection of new IDA executive director

                                                                                
                                                                                    

Sometimes, when appointments seem to come out of the blue, campaign finance disclosure reports may yield some answers.

Today it was announced in Newsday that Sheldon L. Shrenkel, 80, an independent financial consultant, was named the $175,000-a-year CEO and executive director of the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency, which works to attract and retain businesses in the county,  essentially by offering tax breaks.

While Shrenkel apparently has longtime business experience and served a decade ago on a county transit advisory committee, his name does not instantly come to mind as the most likely candidate to run a government development agency.

But Shrenkel is from North Valley Stream.

That's the first clue.

Newsday also provided another hint as to why the IDA board may have hired Shrenkel.

Since Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman took office in January, Newsday reports, "Blakeman has appointed four of the IDA board’s seven members. Like Blakeman, Shrenkel is a Republican."

So a Republican majority hired a Republican CEO.

So now let's look at campaign finance reports:

Since 2006, Shrenkel, his wife Jane and a former campaign committee for Jane Shrenkel, who ran for judge in the mid-2000s,  have contributed more than $65,000 in Republican campaign contributions. Some went to Republican candidates, more to the Nassau County Republican Committee but most, year after year, went faithfully to the North Valley Stream Republican Committee.

Who is the longtime North Valley Stream Republican leader? Joe Cairo, who served as years as second in command in the tightly organized Nassau Republican Committee and then took over as chairman of the full county organization in 2018. He never gave up his North Valley Stream leadership post.

In fact, Jane Shrenkel's campaign committee "Friends of Jane Shrenkel" was based at 877 N. Corona Ave. in North Valley Stream, according to campaign finance reports. A former farmhouse turned into offices, 877 N. Corona is owned by Joe Cairo.

Yes, campaign contributions can shed some light on county appointments.

Or consider the recent flap over alleged jail mismanagement. 

Nassau Corrections officers last week demanded the ouster of Corrections Commissioner Mike Sposato, alleging his mismanagment and cost-cutting at the East Meadow jail were putting officers and inmates at risk.

Two days later, an inmate died of an apparent drug overdose.

Sposato, a jail cook, had been promoted to sheriff by former Democratic Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and kept on by former Republican County Executive Ed Mangano.

Under Mangano, correction officers protested Sposato while Nassau Democratic legislators demanded his resignation.

Democratic County Executive Laura Curran fired Sposato as soon as she took office in Jan. 2018.

Four years later, again seemingly out of the blue, Blakeman brought Sposato back. In September, Sposato took over day to day operations at the jail as Corrections Commissioner.

Let's look again at the campaign finance reports for possible light on his appointment.

Over the years, Sposato donated to Suozzi, to Mangano and an assortment of other politicians.

After he was fired by Curran, Sposato slowed his contributions.  But from 2020 through 2022 he contributed more than $31,000 to Republicans, mostly the Nassau Republican Committee.

A small investment in retrospect.