James' departure shuffles the board
Daily Point
Once more into the breach for Kaiman?
The last time New York’s 3rd Congressional District featured a wide-open race was in 2016, after Steve Israel announced his eighth term would be his last.
A large Democratic field developed, and Suffolk County Deputy County Executive Jon Kaiman was one of five candidates to jump in, finishing third to Tom Suozzi, the former two-term Nassau County executive.
Suozzi, who is currently running for governor, won the primary and defeated Jack Martins by six points in the general election.
Now, Kaiman says he’s seriously considering another run for the seat. His pondering is becoming public just as Attorney General Tish James’ quick exit from the gubernatorial fray Thursday is shaking up all the marquee races on tap for next year.
Kaiman was the North Hempstead town supervisor for a decade and generally received kudos for his work there. He also led the Superstorm Sandy recovery effort, New York Rising, for former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. And he was chairman of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority in 2014 when it lifted the county wage freeze and approved union contracts that required new county employees to pay part of their pension and health care premiums.
Speaking to The Point Wednesday, Kaiman said, "I’m looking at my options for putting a run together over the next few weeks. It makes sense in terms of timing, because Steve Bellone’s administration is going to end in two years, and so the time for my next thing is coming."
Kaiman also said working in Suffolk, which is "such a big part of the district" and earning a master's in public administration from Harvard University broadened his perspective.
Kaiman said he’ll decide over the next few weeks whether he will fully commit to a run, and acknowledged that one thing that would knock him out is Suozzi deciding to abandon his gubernatorial campaign and run for reelection to Congress.
But Kaiman said he’s spoken to Suozzi at length, and thinks he is committed to his Albany run.
One Democratic candidate, Melanie D’Arrigo, who lost a primary in 2020 running to the left of Suozzi, has declared for the race. Democratic National Committee member and communications professional Robert Zimmerman, who has contemplated campaigning for the seat in the past, told The Point Thursday he is "seriously considering a run," touting his longtime advocacy of Long Island and saying he’s drawn to it because he believes "this next Congress could be the most impactful in our history." And Nassau County Legis. Josh Lafazan told The Point Thursday he is "seriously considering a run," and will make a final decision soon.
The question today is whether Suozzi feels he’s strengthened by James’ departure, because he has a shot at a wider swath of the moderate lane in trying to defeat incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Meanwhile, James’ decision to seek another term as attorney general could trickle down to shaking up plenty of races, as some hopeful AG candidates drop out and potentially go looking for the greener pastures of easier races.
And Kaiman will have to concern himself with where Suozzi will end up grazing before he commits fully.
— Lane Filler @lanefiller
Talking Point
Dan Janison on James
Get an early peek at Dan Janison’s take on Tish James' decision to drop out of the 2022 gubernatorial race.
Pencil Point
Trying to make sense
Credit: PoliticalCartoons.com/Dick Wright
For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons
Final Point
Back to searching for a SUNY chief
Jim Malatras’ decision to resign as chancellor of the State University of New York system creates a void at the head of the massive bureaucracy, which includes 64 campuses that serve nearly 400,000 students.
Malatras’ resignation came after the emergence of text messages he sent that disparaged one of the women who accused former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of sexual harassment. The SUNY board of trustees appointed Malatras chairman last year, eschewing a national search in favor of choosing a close political ally of Cuomo’s. At the time, the board said it picked Malatras to avoid "a costly and lengthy search process."
For now, it’s unclear what Malatras’ departure will mean for Long Island and its state university campuses — Stony Brook, Farmingdale and Old Westbury — and Nassau and Suffolk Community Colleges — all of which are attempting to get past the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kevin Law, who heads the Stony Brook University Council, and previously served on Suffolk Community College’s board of trustees, said the SUNY board of trustees likely will appoint an interim chancellor — probably a "seasoned SUNY person" — and then should start a national search for a permanent chancellor. The trustees — mostly gubernatorial appointees — make the final pick.
"They have to come up with the best person for SUNY," Law said, noting that person didn’t "necessarily" have to be an academic. "You need a good manager in there and somebody who’s going to be a good advocate for the system."
It’s a particularly complicated time for SUNY schools, said Farmingdale State College president John Nader.
"A successful chancellor for the State University of New York has to be politically adroit, command academic respect, work with multiple constituencies and administer and asset policy for 64 different campuses, and at the same time have a vision for the future," Nader told The Point. "That is a very tall order."
The pandemic — and the political uncertainty that comes with a gubernatorial election next year — makes the challenge even more complex.
Then there’s the importance of Long Island, where the SUNY system employs more than 25,000 people, Law said.
Nader noted that he’s been able to call or meet with the three previous chancellors easily. The next chancellor, Law said, has to understand the importance of the Long Island pieces of the SUNY puzzle.
"It’s a significant asset and a significant economic engine on Long Island that deserves Albany’s attention," Law said, noting that each school has its own challenges, especially in the community colleges that face declining enrollments. "We’re not a one size fits all," he added.
Nader noted that Farmingdale has even more specific needs as the school looks forward, from developing its offshore wind training program and working on dozens of capital projects to developing partnerships with the Island’s community colleges.
"We are taking nothing for granted," Nader said. "We will begin at the turn of the year to think very deeply about our place in higher education and how to position ourselves for the years ahead."
That may be exactly what a new chancellor will have to do for the system as a whole, too.
— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall
