Tax break-granting Nassau IDA to elect a new chairman

The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency is expected to elect a successor to  Chairman  Richard Kessel at its April 27 meeting, he said.

At last week’s meeting, Kessel announced that it would be his last. He said he plans to leave the agency in the coming weeks and hopes to serve in another governmental position.

Kessel, 73, is a former longtime chairman of the Long Island Power Authority; president and CEO of the state Power Authority; executive director of the state Consumer Protection Board, and a member of the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority. The IDA chairman is not paid.

“I’m not leaving [public service],” Kessel told the IDA meeting. “I may go to something else. I like public service. We’ll see what happens going forward,” he said.

Kessel, of Merrick, has led the IDA, which grants tax breaks to expanding businesses and housing projects, since March 2018. He was appointed to the agency’s seven-member board by Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, and then supported by her successor, Bruce Blakeman, a Republican.

Kessel, a Democrat, took the IDA helm from Timothy Williams, who was chairman of the agency  during part of Republican County Executive Edward Mangano’s tenure. Williams, a financial services executive, remained on the board until March 1.  

With Kessel's departure, there will be two vacancies on the board.

Raymond Pinto, an engineer, was elected IDA secretary at last week’s meeting. That means the field of chairman candidates includes board members John Coumatos, a restaurateur in Bethpage; Victor J. LaGreca, a union leader; William Rockensies, an engineer, and Reginald Spinello, a former Glen Cove mayor and Glen Cove IDA chairman. 

The county executive appoints the board members, who in turn elect the IDA officers. 

Asked to list the IDA’s accomplishments in the past five years, Kessel said he is most proud of two developments on land that had been vacant for more than 40 years: the Breeze condominiums on the Superblock property in Long Beach and an Amazon warehouse on the site of the former Cerro Wire factory in Syosset.

“They were eyesores for decades,” he said in an interview. “Many attempts were made to redevelop those properties. But we worked with the local officials, the community, developers and unions to get it done.”

Kessel also said IDA-backed projects have helped to revitalize downtowns in Lynbrook, Mineola and Westbury, among others.

Christopher Fusco, the county’s labor commissioner and a former IDA board member, called Kessel “a labor advocate on every issue that we’ve ever had.”

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.