Innovate Suffolk

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STEVE BELLONE: INNOVATE SUFFOLK

For too long, Suffolk County residents have paid to educate the nation’s best minds, and then driven them away with high taxes and lack of opportunity. As County Executive, Steve Bellone will eliminate red tape and burdensome regulations and spur economic investment. Suffolk County is already a wonderful place to raise a family, and working together, Steve Bellone knows it can become a great place to do business.

MAKE SUFFOLK THE NATION'S NEXT "RESEARCH TRIANGLE"

Politicians everywhere talk about creating high-tech research jobs, but they don't have what we have right here – the brightest minds and major research assets. Suffolk can already point to Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory – where DNA was first discovered.

Steve Bellone recognizes that we need a comprehensive economic development strategy centered on a bold innovation agenda to compete for new tech jobs. This starts with identifying the sectors of our economy that we are well positioned to attract based on the unique assets of our region. Brookhaven’s Mark Lesko has recognized this opportunity, and established the groundbreaking Accelerate Long Island initiative – an important first step in bringing institutions together to commercialize scientific research, build new research, and create jobs. As County Executive, Steve Bellone will:

Create a new Innovation Zoning Category. Suffolk cannot attract and retain businesses if we do not have low-cost and accessible places to put them. Working with towns, we can identify publicly owned parcels that are currently off tax rolls to zone as Innovation Zoning, just like North Carolina’s “Research Triangle.” These new zones will have the lowest tax rates on businesses Long Island has ever seen, and working with Governor Cuomo’s new economic development program, we can make sure Suffolk Innovation Zones can compete with incentives offered anywhere in America.

Help Start-Ups. As Supervisor, Steve has directed Babylon’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to slash red tape and create jobs. However, throughout Suffolk, IDAs are sitting on cash while start-ups cannot get loans. Steve will work with the towns to create a pool of $500,000 from money languishing in these funds to create a new Suffolk Innovation and Research Fund. A committee of investment professionals – not politicians – will focus on growing Suffolk County technology companies that can be nurtured in our new Innovation Zones.

Expand High-Tech Workforce. Suffolk County Community College is leading the way with its innovative mechatronics program that combines mechanical, electronic, computer, control and systems design engineering. We can strengthen and expand this program so more Long Islanders can take advantage of these opportunities.

REFORMING COUNTY GOVERNMENT

All elements of county government have to work in partnership with all of the stakeholders – businesses, towns, and residents – to become a viable mechanism for job creation. Working with Babylon, companies knew that they would get quick, competitive and usually favorable responses to queries about locating their business in the town. Bellone will apply that same model to Suffolk County by:

Eliminate Bureaucratic Roadblocks. Roadblocks exist to the formation and attraction of new business and the creation of good jobs. Steve will apply what he has done in Babylon, and what Mark Lesko is successfully doing in Brookhaven, to root out the red tape in county government that inhibits business development.

Reform the County Health Department. On day one, Steve will make economic development part of the mission of the County Health Department. Applications need to be processed a timely and efficient fashion so that we do not have willing and able job creators sitting, doors closed, waiting for long-overdue permits. And after that – if businesses say the County can still do better or faster – Steve will work with them to find the best streamlined process that gets them permits and applications without delay and bureaucratic headaches.

Reform the County Industrial Development Agency. As County Executive, Steve will make the Suffolk IDA a one-stop shop for businesses to find locations throughout the county to locate new businesses and navigate various administrative issues unique to different towns, making it a leader in regional business development.

Prioritize a Business-Friendly Environment. From the start, Bellone will prioritize making County tax incentives far more business-friendly, just as he did in Babylon. Long Island offers many competitive advantages, but we will miss out on new businesses unless we can compete with the economic incentives offered by states and municipalities across the region and country.

Aggressive Incentives. In Babylon, Bellone has provided up to a 15-year tax abatements that are tied to currently assessed values, while allowing flexibility to improve those incentives to meet the realities and bottom lines of highly sought-after employers. We also can give additional incentives for companies to relocate to economically disadvantaged communities so that all Suffolk residents can share in increased prosperity.

QUALITY OF LIFE

People, and businesses, want to live and work in a safe and friendly environment. They want to be able to move around easily and live in good, affordable housing. Suffolk County already has tremendous natural beauty and a close proximity to New York City, the biggest economic engine in the country. As County Executive, Steve Bellone will seek to take full advantage of Suffolk County’s assets by:

Improving Public Safety. Gang violence and drug use threatens residents and dampens the business environment. Bellone knows we must focus our police force solely on fighting crime, and empower precincts captains to improve neighborhood safety.

Address Infrastructure. If major employers do not have access to good roads, sewers, water, and competitively priced energy, they will not come to do business in Suffolk County. In Babylon, Steve has worked to draw businesses along the Route 110 corridor. In Suffolk, Steve will explore ways to expand sewer lines, increase access to rapid transit, and maintain our roads.

Affordable Housing. Affordable workforce housing is a major factor for economic development. Businesses take a holistic view of the region as they decide where to locate their facilities – affordable housing means we can keep our best and brightest young folks and means that we don’t price businesses out of the market.

Beautification. In Babylon, Steve Bellone has had major success in creating a community feeling that is attractive to businesses and residents by investing in parks and beautification projects. While low taxes and aggressive incentives have helped recruit new businesses, parks and beautification projects have made Babylon a more attractive place to do business and relocate.

In the coming weeks, Steve will be elaborating on these important aspects of County governance and how they tie into his vision of a more prosperous Suffolk County for all of our families.