CEDX

Smart Growth Summit on Long Island

This past friday, the 18th, as part of my new role as VP of Biz Dev at HD Communications, we attended Vision Long Island's Smart Growth Summit, where we exhibited some samples of both mobile and fixed wireless broadband technology.  Vision Long Island encourages transit oriented development, and the revitalization of downtowns, recognizing that on Long Island, we need to be much more forward thinking in our land use policies, and encourage the right kind and places for increased density of development.  The keynote speaker for the conference was Ashok Gupta of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who gave an update on Clean Energy technologies.  I had a few moments to speak with him before his talk, and he was very encouraging in terms of pressing for telecommuting and making transit systems more attractive by making them more productive environments by adding the ability to access the internet from them, whether they be buses or trains.

The Nassau County Executive, Tom Suozzi, had the happy task of preceding Mr. Gupta, and sounding very much like a gubernatorial candidate, spoke about the need to grow Long Island out of its problems, and finding a way to not choke on that growth, by bringing new ideas to the table in terms of increasing density, reducing single occupant vehicle traffic and increasing regionalization.

Roger Corbin Speaks at LIMBA on Regional Issues

Nassau County Legislator Roger Corbin came to LIMBA a couple of weeks ago and spoke on addressing regional problems.
Long Island is the most segregated place in the nation still, and this is obviously a big problem. He also has some radical ideas about consolidating all school districts into one.  The state Assembly and Legislature view this as an impossibility, due to folks' unabashed love for their hometown districts and the fear of those "other" kids from poorer districts migrating to their schools.
Mr. Corbin is taking his message directly to Long Islanders, addressing the balkanization of taxing districts, refuse, lighting, fire, waste.
The region of Nassau that he covers, Westbury, comprises three different areas, Old Westbury, New Cassel, and the village of Westbury.  In speaking about revitalization of downtowns, the demise of the local hardware store, that gave you extra services, he extolled the virtues of mixed use development, and transit oriented development.
In getting back to Westbury, he took a few shots at big box stores and malls.  Malls don't return tax money to local neighborhoods, and local school districts don't benefit from them.

Westbury is a reflection of my home district, Elwood.  There really isn't any industrial base, except for the Dairy Barn stores' headquarters.

Everything on Long Island is being stalled by fear of school tax increases and racial migration.  He also has an answer on how local folks can improve their schools by having the ability to float local bonds for local school improvements.

We can't do nothing, we will implode. Cars can get you anywhere and bring problems anywhere.  The regional approach is better, because a cancer in the body, left untreated, will spread, and ignoring a failing school district in one location on Long Island, will spread problems through out the region by creating a  pool of underachieving, disaffected youth. 

He's not running away.  You can't move, people have roots, and problems just follow you.  You have to make a stand and fix the problems.  If you move away, you leave your family and community, My grandfolks left brooklyn in the 60's as part of the "white flight", and the problems of the city, or perhaps growth and maturity in general, are catching up with the migrants now.

His vision encompasses municipal functions larger than schools, to refuse, police, fire districts, etc.
Ernie always brings in great speakers,  Roger is the latest in that long line.  Politicians with vision, innovators, and folks that really care about the community.