ADVOCACY: Fuschillo said to be considered for LIA post

Just in time for a Long Island Association search committee to select a new president to replace Matt Crosson, yet one more name has surfaced for the organization's top spot: that of state Sen. Charles Fuschillo (R-Merrick), according to a well-placed source.

The search committee, headed by Bethpage Federal Credit Union chief executive Kirk Kordeleski, is to submit its choice to the full LIA board in a few weeks.

"He's [Fuschillo] a sitting politician who comes with positives and negatives," said the source. "But he's in a powerful position."

Fuschillo, a veteran state senator who has been in office since 1998, is known for his work in the consumer rights area, having written a law allowing consumers to block outside access to their credit information by placing a security freeze on their credit reports.

Fuschillo also was a vocal opponent of a plan by OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Melville to expand at the Broadhollow Bioscience Park at Farmingdale State College. Fuschillo said OSI would be leasing and building on state property without any public bid. OSI has announced plans to relocate to Westchester County.

Katherine Heaviside, a spokeswoman for the search committee, declined to comment on whether Fuschillo is a candidate for the LIA post, which Crosson vacated after 16 years in the job to head the Greater Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

Chris Schneider, a Fuschillo spokesman, said the senator is "very focused on getting the [state] budget done. He's working hard on that now."