Morgo, Cooper and Kapell join Regional Economic Development Council

A former economic development official in Suffolk County, an ex-aide to Hillary Rodham Clinton and the retired mayor of Greenport have been appointed to a state panel that helps determine the recipients of state business aid.

Jim Morgo, Resi Cooper and David Kapell will serve on the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council. Their first meeting as volunteer council members is Thursday morning in Melville.

A spokesman for Empire State Development, which administers the local council and nine others across the state, confirmed the appointments Tuesday.

Morgo, a former economic development commissioner in Suffolk and board chairman of its industrial development agency, is a consultant to developers and governments. He led the Long Island Housing Partnership for nearly 17 years.

Cooper is a consultant to politicians and businesses. She was the first executive director of Accelerate Long Island, which helps technology startups, and worked as regional director for Clinton when she served in the U.S. Senate.

Kapell, who started his own real estate agency in 1981, was Greenport mayor from 1994 until 2007. He also led the village's planning board and community development efforts.

Both Morgo and Cooper have co-chaired working groups of the council.

The new members succeed Joseph Cabral, former chief human resources officer at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System; Brookville venture capitalist Mark Fasciano; and Patricia McMahon, a sector vice president at defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. Each had resigned from the council.

The 23-member council reviews applications for state tax credits and grants. It is led by two vice chairmen, Kevin Law, president of the Long Island Association business group, and Stuart Rabinowitz, Hofstra University president.