Four recommended for LIRR Commuter Council

The watchdog group that acts as an advocate for the Long Island Rail Road's teeming ridership soon may be at full strength for the first time in more than a decade, officials said Tuesday.

The county executives of Nassau and Suffolk have sent names to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's office to fill the four vacant seats on the 12-member LIRR Commuter Council. Cuomo's office will run background checks on each of the four recommendations before deciding whether to appoint them to the unpaid positions.

"The council would like to thank both county executives and their staff for their responsiveness," said Commuter Council chairman Mark Epstein, who made filling the vacancies a priority when he was elected to his post in May. "A full council made up of voices from all over the different parts of Nassau, Suffolk, Queens and Brooklyn only adds to the effectiveness of the council meeting its mandate."

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's recommendations are Morgan Stanley executive Kathy Ann Comerford, of Bethpage, who has commuted on the LIRR for 28 years; Michael Godino, of Malverne, who is blind and works as an advocacy director for the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled; and Bryan Peranzo, of Levittown, a loss-prevention manager for Gap Inc. in Manhattan.

The county executive "sought individuals who will hold the MTA accountable for their service and the tax dollars they take from our residents," spokesman Brian Nevin said. "At a time when the MTA is taking more than ever from Nassau taxpayers, it is critical that those who sit on the council stand up for Nassau commuters."

Suffolk's recommended appointee is Richard Niggemeier, of West Islip, managing director of operations for The New York Times. County Executive Steve Levy said in a letter to Cuomo's office that Niggemeier "will serve with the utmost integrity, in addition to providing dedicated and invaluable service to the council and its mission."

The State Legislature created the Commuter Council 30 years ago with the goal of offering riders a voice in policy decisions, giving management advice and holding the LIRR -- the largest commuter railroad on the continent -- accountable for its actions.

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years

But council officials say vacancies have persisted for years, even though they have forwarded names of potential recruits to the county executives.

Of particular concern to the council are the vacancies in Nassau, where more than half of the LIRR's ridership lives, but which now has only two representatives on the council.

In recent years, the council has successfully advocated for several LIRR customer improvements, including more information on train platform signs, and stepped up cleaning on the railroad's littered right of way.