Was NUMC exec fired because of his ties to Dem chairman Jay Jacobs?

Daily Point

Battles heat up at NUMC

The turmoil at Nassau University Medical Center exploded this week, as NUMC chairman Matthew Bruderman fired the hospital’s chief operating officer John Donnelly, The Point has learned.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the discussion confirmed that Bruderman called Donnelly on Monday to inform Donnelly that he was being terminated without cause and without a vote of the board.

The move apparently was made without the knowledge or support of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who chose Bruderman for the spot and is responsible for picking a majority of the hospital's board.

"County Executive Blakeman was unaware Mr. Donnelly was terminated and regrets that such an action was taken while in the midst of negotiations with the state concerning the financial affairs of Nassau University Medical Center," Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle told The Point. "The County Executive would have preferred the status quo to be preserved pending those negotiations."

Donnelly, who had served as deputy county executive for operations under former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, was appointed to the COO spot in 2020, when Democrat Laura Curran was leading the county. At the time, according to NUMC board minutes, Donnelly’s appointment was to last three years, through December 2023.

While it’s unclear what specifically led to Bruderman’s decision, or why it happened now, Donnelly has long been in Bruderman’s crosshairs.

At a frenetic town hall in March, Bruderman went after the COO without mentioning his name, saying Donnelly was "put there by an appointment in the middle of the night."

"Both parties are telling me, ‘You can’t get rid of this guy. It’s going to cause a lot of trouble,’" Bruderman said at the time. "I like trouble."

At the time, Bruderman noted that Donnelly had been college roommates with Democratic state party chairman Jay Jacobs. Jacobs, however, told The Point that while the two attended college together and remain close friends, they were not roommates.

But Jacobs said he thinks his friendship with Donnelly — and recent comments Jacobs has made about nepotism among Republicans — played a role in Bruderman’s decision.

"I think it’s a shot across my bow, as if I’m going to have anything to do with that," Jacobs said. "If somebody feels like you can hurt him and punish me, that’s just the worst part of politics."

"They take a good guy and they fire him to send a message," Jacobs said. "Well, I’ve got news for you. The message has been received, but don’t think it’s the end of the story."

Jacobs’ connection to Donnelly may not be the only reason behind the move. Donnelly’s firing came just weeks after Bruderman attempted to make interim president and chief executive Megan Ryan permanent — a move that didn’t go forward because the scheduled board meeting was canceled just hours before it was to take place. And it comes as state officials have been discussing the possibility of taking control of the hospital and installing a temporary operator.

"As we have previously stated, NUMC is the county’s responsibility," said Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul. "The state is currently working with the county on a resolution going forward."

The Point received a response from a NUMC public affairs email address, signed with only the name "Tom," that said: "We do not comment on personnel changes. Thank you for your request."

In an email sent to Bruderman, Ryan and the board Tuesday, NUMC board member Jason Abelove said he believed Donnelly’s firing violated the NUMC board’s bylaws and could open the hospital up to a lawsuit "based upon political party discrimination."

"I think that a fair inference can be made that this termination was in retaliation for your frustration over what you believe is a potential take over by the democrats (sic) in NYS and the fact that NYS is not funding the hospitals at levels you would like," Abelove wrote.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Pet peeves

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/0913nationalcartoons

Final Point

SALT: An election-season seasoning

In April 2023, during a long flight on a congressional visit to Israel, Rep. Nick LaLota pushed a shaker of salt a half-dozen times in front of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who finally asked, "Are you messing with me?"

LaLota, seeking reelection in the 1st Congressional District this year, replied that yes, he wanted SALT, the acronym for "state and local taxes," to be on the leader's mind. It was a reference to the fact that President Donald Trump in 2017 signed the law limiting SALT deductions on federal tax forms to $10,000 — a monumental change that has put a heavier tax burden on many Long Islanders. Ever since, the region’s elected officials have been trying to get the dreaded SALT cap removed or at least raised much higher.

The saltshaker anecdote was reported in Newsday in August of last year. Now there’s a follow-up. Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, also facing reelection, indicated in an interview with the editorial board Tuesday that the Long Island delegation has continued the practice of using saltshakers as a symbolic prop.

"There have been instances where saltshakers have been delivered to the Ways and Means chairman," D'Esposito said, referring to Jason Smith of Missouri. "We've been out to dinner with the speaker of the House [now Mike Johnson] where every saltshaker is in front of him," D’Esposito said. "If we happen to be in a restaurant we’ll send Chairman Smith a margarita with salt. We try to mix it up."

"We’ve threatened [to send] truckloads of snow salt to his farm but that’s going too far."

In his recent rally at the Nassau Coliseum, Trump showed he’s running just a bit against his own record, promising that restoring SALT fully or in part will save "thousands of dollars for residents of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and other high-cost states." Democrats have pointed out that Trump’s SALT cap, which was aimed at punishing blue states, expires next year anyway — entirely if their party retains power.

D’Esposito said Tuesday that he and colleagues got to huddle with Trump before the rally at Nassau Coliseum. "He brought it up to us, and I was pleasantly surprised that he mentioned it at the Coliseum," D’Esposito said, noting that Democrats didn’t kill Trump’s SALT cap when they had majorities in both houses of Congress and held the White House in 2021 and 2022.

On Sept. 17, the day before the rally, D’Esposito posted on his ‘X’ account a rendition of, yes, a saltshaker.

— Dan Janison dan.janison@newsday.com

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.