With Rabinowitz out at NUMC, who will be the new board chair?

Daily Point

What's behind NUMC chair's departure — and what's ahead for the hospital

Nearly 10 months after the state took control of Nassau University Medical Center, leading Gov. Kathy Hochul to appoint former Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz as chairman, Hochul has an opening to fill once more.

It was a surprisingly fast tenure.

Rabinowitz, 80, is resigning as board chair of NUMC's public benefits corporation, Nassau Health Care Corp., effective March 15.

In his resignation letter, Rabinowitz said his role was intended to be transitional. "I believe NUMC now stands on firmer footing — with leadership restored, financial realities clarified, governance strengthened, and a strategic direction articulated," Rabinowitz wrote. "The institution is positioned to move from crisis response to sustained rebuilding."

Publicly, officials said the timing for Rabinowitz's resignation made sense, as he was brought on to play a key role in stabilizing NUMC early on, but that job shifted with the hiring of NUMC chief executive Tom Stokes.

But behind the scenes, tensions between Rabinowitz and Stokes have been percolating, and may have contributed to the timing of Rabinowitz's departure, multiple sources told The Point.

Stokes and Rabinowitz "just can't see eye to eye on some important issues," one source told The Point.

Another source noted that both Stokes and Rabinowitz have strong personalities, which may not have meshed well in the boardroom.

Still others, however, said the timing made sense for Rabinowitz's resignation to come after Stokes came on board.

"I think it's not unexpected," one source told The Point. "I don't think anybody's going to be happy to see him go. He really took this on and threw himself into it and he treated it like a full time job."

Now, the biggest question is — who will take on the chair position going forward? As of Monday afternoon, there was no clear answer — but a variety of potential choices quickly emerged.

Under legislation passed and signed last year, Hochul appoints the chair. Among the names in the mix: Nassau Interim Finance Authority Chairman Richard Kessel, who has been closely involved with the problems at NUMC for years, while also helping the hospital navigate the more recent turnaround efforts.

Others, however, noted that Hochul, undoubtedly with involvement behind the scenes from her powerful secretary Karen Persichilli Keogh, might first appoint an interim chairman from among the current board members before making a more permanent pick. Among those options: Dean Mihaltses, the former chief executive of NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens. Hochul's other board members, real estate executive and civic leader Lisa Warren and bank community manager Amy Flores, also could be potential options for an interim slot. Fellow board members who also could be in the mix are Lisa Newland, who was appointed by the State Senate, and Jason Abelove, who was appointed by the Nassau Legislature's minority.

Sources said it's unlikely that the Assembly's NUMC board member, Rory Lancman, would take on the chairmanship since he is running for elected office this year.

But while a current board member could fill the chairmanship temporarily, Hochul will have to replace Rabinowitz with a new appointee sooner rather than later, sources said, especially because the board requires a quorum of six people — and without him, the board only has six slots filled, because Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and county legislature Presiding Officer Howard Kopel never made their appointments. That'll mean that for the time being, the board can only meet if all of its members can attend.

No matter whom Hochul picks, elected officials said they'll be looking for someone who can follow in Rabinowitz's footsteps.

"He did a yeoman's job in starting to rightsize the ship," State Sen. Siela Bynoe said. "With Stu came a lot of confidence from folks within the community, including myself, and so I'm with a watchful eye looking to see what they're going to do next."

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Quick Points

Blakeman's 'Read my lips' moment?

• Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman issued a statement last week akin to presidential candidate George H.W. Bush's "Read my lips: no new taxes" declaration at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Blakeman said if elected governor he would "... cut your utility bill in half ... that's a promise!" If polls are an indicator, we won't find out.
• Hochul's list of opponents just got shorter when West Hempstead resident Seth Bykofsky, who announced a joke run for governor because his vanity license plate was about to be pulled, withdrew from the race. Bykofsky said Hochul intervened with the DMV so he could keep his "PB4WEGO" license plate. If Hochul beats Blakeman, she could borrow Nesconset resident Suzanne Saeli's vanity plate "SORRY4YA," which was featured in Newsday in 2019.
• In a twist on the Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" card, John J. Gotti's grandson, Carmine G. Agnello, of Smithtown, wants to donate a kidney to help avoid a lengthy prison sentence for COVID-19 relief money fraud. Agnello, facing between 33 and 41 months, said his plan to donate a kidney to a family member should keep him out of jail. Kinda like Grandpa's "He was the best guy around" viral meme.
• Using a colorful metaphor, rock band Radiohead is demanding the Department of Homeland Security stop using its song "Let Down" in a promotional video for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Said the band, "... you don't get to appropriate it without a fight," and then added the expletive directive. ICE could have avoided controversy and used a Kid Rock song.
• The city of Osaka received a gold bar worth $3.6 million with a caveat: The anonymous donor wants the city's old water pipes fixed. Nassau and Suffolk officials are waiting for their Amazon-delivered gold bars.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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