Cuomo names minister, Rockaways resident to LIPA board of trustees

A minister and a Rockaways resident appointed to the Long Island Power Authority board of trustees said in a statement he would work "to achieve a clean, reliable and affordable electric grid for our customers."

LIPA on Tuesday announced that the Rev. Alfred L. Cockfield II, CEO of God’s Battalion of Prayer Ministries, was named to one of five board seats that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo controls.

Cockfield, who also is executive director of the Battalion Christian Academy and the Lamand Charter School in Brooklyn, is currently the only trustee of African American descent on LIPA’s nine-member board, and one of the few from the Rockaways, the only region in which LIPA operates in New York City. Harriet Gilliam, an attorney from Riverhead when she served on the board more than a decade ago, was LIPA’s first Black board member.

"LIPA is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workplace which reflects and represents the Long Island and Rockaway communities," LIPA said in a statement. LIPA said around half of its senior leadership are women and minorities, which it called "among the more inclusive in the industry."

Cockfield fills a board seat vacated by Ralph Suozzi, the former LIPA chairman, who left after his term expired last month, though Cockfield will not be chairman. Mark Fischl, who took the role as acting chair of the LIPA board, called Cockfield a "staunch advocate and a known leader," adding he’d work with the new trustee to "transform this utility into the best-in-class provider our customers deserve."

One LIPA trustee seat remains vacant following the death earlier this year of board member Matthew Cordaro, an Assembly appointee. A search for a replacement is underway, an Assembly aide confirmed.

Rockaways hard-hit by Sandy

The Rockaways were particularly hard hit by Superstorm Sandy, which knocked out power for more than 900,000 of LIPA’s 1.1 million customers. The low-lying coastal community saw power out for weeks due to flooding that led to fires in some homes (and subsequent lawsuits against LIPA). Much of the storm hardening LIPA has undertaken in the years since was aimed at fortifying its infrastructure in flood-prone communities against future storms.

Cockfield in a statement acknowledged a more recent storm that has dogged the Long Island utility, and its grid manager, PSEG Long Island.

"While there is much work to be done following Tropical Storm Isaias, I look forward to adding my experience and perspective and working closely with my colleagues on the board to achieve a clean, reliable and affordable electric grid for our customers," Cockfield said in a statement from LIPA.

LIPA is in the midst of a major review of its future after PSEG Long Island saw systems fail during the 2020 tropical storm, with more than 535,000 customers losing power.

Additional staffing changes

LIPA also has been shifting and adding staff in recent weeks.

Last week, the utility said it hired Gaspare Tumminello, a Glen Cove city clerk, to be LIPA’s manager of external affairs. He‘ll report to LIPA‘s external affairs director Thomas Locascio, who joined LIPA in September after a stint at PSEG and over 17 years in state and local government

Rick Shansky, former senior vice president of operations oversight at LIPA, was appointed senior vice president of power supply and wholesale markets, with oversight of PSEG’s power supply planning, procurement and management. Shansky formerly worked at Con Edison.

LIPA said Shansky’s appointment comes as the state transitions to a carbon-neutral grid that "will require a complete replanning of the way the Long Island grid generates and distributes electricity over the next 20 years." LIPA said its efforts in power-supply planning "as well as working through market rules and filings to complete this transition is increasing greatly."

LIPA also recently hired Billy Raley as senior vice president of transition and distribution system oversight, overseeing PSEG’s design, planning, operation, maintenance and construction of the Long Island grid. Raley, a 35-year industry veteran, previously held jobs at Georgia Power and the Southern Company.

LIPA has said if it decides to take over operation of the grid from PSEG, an option it’s currently considering, it will need to hire a dozen high-level industry people to run it.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.