Cardinale’s Lack of Leadership Costs the Town $17,000,000.00 at EPCAL

On Thursday May 7, 2009, Town Supervisor Philip Cardinale forced a vote on the sale of the EPCAL property to Rechler Equities. In an act of desperation, and in order to shore up his own chances for reelection, Supervisor Cardinale forced a vote to reduce the purchase price of the 300 acres to be sold to Rechler Equities from $35,000,000.00 to just $18,000,000.00 without offering one suitable alternative. Revealing his true character, Supervisor Cardinale would not put this item on the agenda unless he was “guaranteed a unanimous vote” according to Councilmen Dunleavy and Wooten. Once again, Supervisor Cardinale sought political cover for a mess he created.

There is no denying that both the sitting Republican Board members and the Republican ticket for the new future of Riverhead oppose this reduction in purchase price. Councilman John Dunleavy stated “this reduction in purchase price is a bad deal for the Town; however, it is the lesser of two evils.” The Town Supervisor negotiated this deal behind closed doors. The remaining Town Board members had limited input and had no access to the negotiation. The Town Board was presented with a final product once Supervisor Cardinale and Rechler agreed upon the price reduction.

The only thing Supervisor Cardinale offered in place of the Rechler deal was to land bank the property without putting in place a plan of action, with appropriate experts to properly subdivide the property and reap the economic benefits for the Town of Riverhead. “This would have been a catastrophic loss to the Town,” according to Councilman Wooten; “The property would be off the tax rolls for a much greater period of time.” Supervisor Cardinale has repeatedly stated he will not agree to increase the size of the Town’s work force. This position is short sighted; any increased costs to the Town’s budget in payroll would be recouped many times over by subdivision of the Town’s property at EPCAL. “If we want to do a state of the art redevelopment at EPCAL we had two choices; hire our own team of experts or sell to a world class developer like the Rechler’s”, as stated by Councilman John Dunleavy.

“We need good jobs in Riverhead and with the Supervisor tying our hands on new hiring, we were really left with one choice and that was the sale to Rechler Equities”, said John Dunleavy. Sean Walter, candidate for Riverhead Town Supervisor stated “This is further evidence of the absence of leadership exhibited by Supervisor Cardinale.”

In order to understand this decision, we must understand why our Town is in this position. Over the past five and a half years, Supervisor Cardinale has failed miserably in intergovernmental relations. Supervisor Cardinale has alienated the Town from the Governor’s Office; the County Executive’s Office and has consistently chastised the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The original contract with Rechler Equities was entered into by the Town just prior to Supervisor Cardinale’s last election. The due diligence period should have taken one year for a project of this magnitude. However, roadblocks were setup by the various levels of government. “Instead of placing a top priority on moving the Rechler due diligence process forward with state and local authorities, Supervisor Cardinale criticized whatever regulator was in his way” according to Walter. Supervisor Cardinale’s abrasiveness and inability to cope with problems greatly extended the due diligence period.

Had the due diligence period been finished in a timely manner, the $35,000,000.00 purchase price would have held and the Town would have closed on the property, before the collapse of the real estate market. One of the single greatest obstacles faced on the redevelopment of the property was the sighting of the endangered short eared owl. If Supervisor Cardinale had continued having the fields mowed in and around the airfield, the habitat for the owl would not have been created.

This lack of leadership can be seen in every aspect of Town Hall. George Gabrielsen, candidate for Town Council said it best, when he stated, “I am totally opposed to the resolution supporting the sale of our Town property at EPCAL for $18,000,000.00 by all members of the Town Board. However, inheriting this poor decision by the current Town board, I can only work hard to maximize the job potential at this site once elected.”

Our Town, and its future, cannot risk a takeover of EPCAL by the State of New York and then dealing with a multitude of red tape and bureaucracy. Unfortunately, we cannot undo the mismanagement of Supervisor Cardinale. However, we must now look past Supervisor Cardinale and replace him. Once that is accomplished, we will be able to move the property back onto the tax rolls and help create thousands of good paying jobs that will secure the future of our town for generations to come.