Speakers shuffle not related to Edward Mangano, LIA says

The Long Island Association, the region’s largest business organization, is shuffling the speakers’ roster for its annual “state of the counties” breakfast with the Nassau and Suffolk county executives in favor of State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and two town supervisors.

The association, which has dubbed the Jan. 13 event a “state of the region report,” denied that the change had anything to do with Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano’s arrest in October on federal corruption charges. Mangano, a Republican, has pleaded not guilty.

“It wasn’t about Ed; it wasn’t about Steve,” said LIA spokesman Matt Cohen, referring to Mangano and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat. “It was wanting to do something different.”

Mangano’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

This year, Flanagan (R-East Northport) will be joined by Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Edward Romaine, both Republicans. An LIA flier bills Santino and Romaine as “supervisors from the two largest towns in New York State.”

By Paul LaRocco

paul.larocco@newsday.com@paullarocco

Paul LaRocco is a reporter on the investigations desk. Since starting at Newsday in late 2010, he has also covered Nassau and Suffolk county politics and government and the Town of Oyster Bay.