Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Monday Sept 12

 Nassau OTB will announce the names and title of each and every employee , exempt or not, who has chosen to take the separation/retirement incentive by the close of business on Friday September 9

Will there be anyone left? Place your bets.

Nassau County GOP leader Joseph Cairo’s daughter nominated for NY Supreme Court because they both concur with Jay jacobs & Kathy Hochul that we screw ny const art 1 sec 3 & the rights of Nassau otb bettors


Thanks for the help. The item’s below. I’d be happy to mail you a copy, if you give me a mailing address.

Claude Solnik
Long Island Business News
2150 Smithtown Ave.
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-7348 

Home > LI Confidential > Stop scratching on holidays

Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012



Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.

GOP officials have nominated the daughter of Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joseph Cairo to become a state supreme court judge — with backing from the rival Democratic Party, sources close to the selection process said Wednesday. 

The bipartisan deal guarantees that Lisa Cairo, currently a family court judge, will be elected to the state Supreme Court without a challenge. 

“Cairo is making his daughter a Supreme Court judge. How does it look? It’s nepotism 101,” sniped one source close to the Nassau Republican Party. 

Democrat and Republican leaders have entered into a bipartisan pact to evenly parcel out judgeships and avoid having to spend enormous sums on judicial races. The party bosses would rather raise funds and devote resources on countywide and legislative races, sources said. 

While good for the lucky few who are nominated, the bipartisan selection process limits competition from others seeking to serve on the bench. 

Cairo has bipartisan support for the position.
GOP officials nominated Lisa Cairo, daughter of Nassau County Republican Party chairman Joseph Cairo, to become a state supreme court judge.

The revelation comes a day after a video emerged of ex-Brooklyn Democratic bossFrank Seddio threatening to “rip the f—king heart” out of a party activist for disagreeing with him over judgeships. 

Joseph Cairo, a lawyer who also is president of the Nassau County Off Track Betting Corporation, declined comment.

But Nassau County GOP spokesman Mike Deery defended Lisa Cairo’s selection. 

“The delegates to the 10th Judicial District have unanimously nominated the highly
respected Family Court Judge, Lisa A. Cairo, for the Supreme Court,” Deery said.

The statement noted that Lisa Cairo was deemed “well qualified” by the judiciary screening committee of the Nassau County Bar Association. 

Lisa Cairo is past  President of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association.

“The Nassau County Republican Committee is pleased when women of distinction and talent are elevated to positions of trust and responsibility. Accordingly, we congratulate Lisa A. Cairo on her nomination to the Supreme Court,” Deery said. 

Nassau County Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs confirmed the bipartisan nomination of Lisa Cairo to the bench.

“Her name will raise people’s attention,” Jacobs admitted.

But Jacobs, who also serves as the state Democratic Party chairman, defended Lisa Cairo’s nomination, saying “she’s certainly qualified to do the job.” 

“Lisa Cairo is respected across the board — her father’s position notwithstanding,” he said. 

Lisa Cairo used to be a law partner with Steve Schlesinger, former legal counsel to the Nassau County Democratic Party. He also praised her qualifications and work ethic. 

“If she was not Joe Cairo’s daughter people would say Lisa is a great choice for the bench. The only black mark is that she happens to be Joe Cairo’s daughter,” said Schlesinger. 

Retired Appellate Court Judge David Saxe said he’s OK with cross-party endorsements for judgeships, as long as there is a rigorous screening process.

“I see nothing wrong with cross-endorsements as long as the judges are screened by a committee comprised of diverse community interests. Judicial elections between party candidates turns judges into politicians — not a desirable outcome,” said Saxe, now a partner at the law firm Morrison Cohen.


We are having a parties

Blood is thicker than wine

Hence friends pay cash


Thursday, January 23, 2014

Twisting, Kevin McCaffrey and Teamsters


Local 707, a union whose pension plan is awaiting takeover by the PBGC, has no money in the treasury, and holds up Nassau OTB employees who work for a public benefit corporation and are compelled to pay while McCaffrey collects his public pension.

Someday a lawyer of note will analyze the below and report to the employees of  Nassau OTB

Long Island Business News 
Suffolk, Nassau OTB probe ethics conflict
by David Winzelberg
Published: November 24th, 2013

At least one employee of Nassau County Off-Track Betting is questioning whether the head of his employee union, a member-elect of the Suffolk County Legislature, should have a say in Suffolk OTB business.
Teamsters Local 707 President Kevin McCaffery, whose union represents about 200 Nassau OTB workers, was elected earlier this month to serve as a Suffolk legislator representing the 14th District. In a letter last week, Nassau OTB cashier Jackson Leeds alerted the Suffolk County Ethics Board to McCaffery’s possible conflict of interest.
“As a Suffolk County legislator, his duties are to the people of Suffolk County,” Leeds wrote. “He cannot simultaneously represent the interests of employees of Nassau OTB, a Nassau County public benefit corporation.”
McCaffery told LIBN he doesn’t think the two counties’ OTBs are in competition with each other and he doesn’t see his role as union leader for Nassau OTB workers as a conflict with issues surrounding Suffolk OTB.
“If anything, I have the background of dealing with Nassau OTB, which gives me more insight on the subject than any other legislator out there,” McCaffery said.
When asked if the legislator-elect’s union job appeared to be a conflict of interest, Nassau OTB chief Joseph Cairo said, “If you really want to stretch it. But I don’t see anything that’s apparent to me.”
Cairo added that he’ll instruct the Nassau agency’s counsel to review the situation.
Leeds, a 10-year veteran of Nassau OTB, complained that both union officials and county OTB management have been too focused on the 1,000 video lottery terminals planned for each county’s OTB and they’re not paying enough attention to current operations.
“They never worked behind a window,” Leeds told LIBN. “They’re out of touch with the bettors of Nassau County.”
Internet wagering and dwindling handles – the overall money being wagered – have prompted a consolidation in Nassau OTB’s operations in recent years; there were 15 betting offices in Nassau in 2003, and now there are eight. Suffolk OTB, which has seven branch offices, filed for bankruptcy last year.
These days, according to some analysts, OTB offices exist largely for political patronage – another reason, according to Leeds, that the Nassau union chief shouldn’t mix one business with the other.
“Union leaders should not be politicians,” he said. “OTBs are run by politicians. Being political and doing public good aren’t always incompatible, but they often are.”
This isn’t the first time a Long Island legislator’s OTB ties have become an issue.
In May 2000, Gregory Peterson, then-president of the Nassau OTB, sued to prevent Nassau County Leg. Roger Corbin from voting on appointments to the Nassau OTB’s board of directors. Because Corbin was employed as a branch manager for New York City OTB and a member of Teamsters Local 858, which then represented all employees of Nassau OTB, Peterson alleged Corbin’s legislative role posed a conflict of interest.
A New York Supreme Court judge issued an injunction preventing Corbin from voting on OTB appointments, but Corbin appealed and the lower court’s decision was reversed. The Nassau County Board of Ethics also chimed in, determining by a 3-2 vote that voting on OTB appointments didn’t create a conflict because Corbin didn’t influence policy or engage in labor negotiations.
With McCaffery, some observers say it’s best to proceed with caution.
Anthony Figliola, vice president of Uniondale-based government relations firm Empire Government Strategies, said the legislator-elect may want to recuse himself from any votes concerning Suffolk OTB until the Suffolk County Ethics Board offers an opinion.
“OTB is a political football,” Figliola said. “It’s better to stay out of it, especially if you want to get things done in the Legislature.”

S. News

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