Politics at play in new Blakeman appointments

                                                                             

Bruce Blakeman

Nassau Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman today made six new appointments to county agencies and boards. almost all with political or apparently personal ties.

They range from the wife of a state assemblyman to former Hempstead Town commissioners to the manager of an Elmont restaurant long known as a favorite haunt of Nassau Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo.

Which is not to say the appointees are not qualified for their new positions, but only to point out that they have connections.

Perhaps the most interesting is the appointment of Gennaro Cesarano, the general manager of the  King Umberto restaurant in Elmont,  to a part-time position as a member of the Assessment Review Commission for a salary of $15,000 a year.

ARC reviews and decides property tax grievances filed by homeowners and businesses.

King Umberto for decades has been a favorite watering hole for Cairo, who has been the North Valley Stream Republican leader and served as second in command of the Republican county organization until he took the reins when the late Chairman Joseph Mondello resigned in 2018.

In fact, there has always been speculation as to whether Cairo has a piece of the private restaurant. It has named various dishes after Cairo throughout the years.

King Umberto menu. Note the veal dish named after Joe Cairo

The restaurant has become almost a second Republican headquarter since Cairo became chairman.

On the other hand, it obviously is a successful business.

Also, Blakeman nominated Dena Durso, wife of Republican Assemblyman Michael Durso, of Massapequa Park, to the county planning commission.

Durso either was or still is the community coordinator for U.S. congressman Andrew Garbarino. Her resume says she also has a real estate license and manages Vincent's Pizzeria and Restaurant. She is the daughter-in-law of John Durso, president of the Long Island Federation of Labor.

Google her name and Garbarino and this is what comes up:

 

 

Also, Blakeman nominated John DeGrace, a former member of the Nassau Community College Board of Trustees, back onto the college board to serve until June 30, 2028. 

DeGrace is the longtime Republican leader of Valley Stream, a former clerk to the county legislature and a former Nassau Republican elections commissioner. DeGrace was liked by both sides of the political aisle when he worked in the county.

Blakeman also nominated two former Hempstead Town Commissioners; Louis DiGrazia, of North Bellmore,  to the county Sewer and Storm Water Finance Authority and Arnold Palleschi of Hewlett to the Atlantic Beach Bridge Authority.

DeGrazia. vice president of the Bancker Construction Corp of Islip, is a former Hempstead Town Sanitation Commissioner and former Freeport Superintendent of Public Works.

Palleschi, a senior engineer at D&B Engineers and Architects of Woodbury, is a former Hempstead Town Water commissioner.

Blakeman presumably knew both men when he served on the Hempstead Town Board in the early 1990s and again before he was elected county executive.

Palleschi replaces Russell Rosenthal on the bridge authority. He is one of two new appointments to the authority.

Blakeman also named attorney Anthony Licatesi of Atlantic Beach to the bridge authority, replacing Shalom Maidenbaum, who runs a well-known tax grievance company.

The Palleschi and Licatesi appointments complete Blakeman's control of the five-member bridge authority board. Since taking office, Blakeman, who lives in Atlantic Beach, has replaced all five members of the board.

Coincidentally, the bridge authority raised its tolls last month for the first time since 2007.

All six appointments moved through Nassau legislative committees today (with Democrats abstaining because they said they had not had time to review the nominees) and will go to the full legislature for confirmation.