NIFA board member quits to take Suffolk job

Thomas Stokes, a member of Nassau's financial control board, has resigned to become a consultant to Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. His resignation from the Nassau Interim Finance Authority will be effective Friday.

Stokes, a registered Republican who lives in Suffolk, had served as the top financial adviser to former Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat, before Gov. David A. Paterson appointed him to NIFA in mid-2010.

Bellone aides said Stokes will serve as a senior adviser on a part-time basis, earning up to $125,000 a year. Stokes continues in his full-time job as chief financial officer of Weill Cornell Imaging at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.

Stokes, in his resignation letter to NIFA and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Thursday, noted that Suffolk is facing financial challenges similar to Nassau's. Having been born and raised in Suffolk, he said he wanted to "assist with the work that must be done."

NIFA took control of Nassau's finances last year after finding a $176 million budget deficit. Stokes, 40, of Center Moriches, was one of two NIFA members who voted against Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano's 2012 budget and multiyear plan, expressing doubts that Mangano could fulfill his promise of a balanced budget by 2015.

Cuomo aides could not be reached for comment about whom the governor will appoint to replace Stokes, the only Republican on the seven-member NIFA board.

NIFA said in a statement: "Although we will miss Tom, we applaud his decision to remain as a public sector adviser to help Suffolk County in its quest for fiscal balance and stability."

Bellone aides said they will seek a waiver from an executive-legislative committee to allow them to enter into a contract with Stokes without first issuing a request for proposals.