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The Executive Offices
Pat Swinney Kaufman
New York State Deputy Commissioner
New York State Governor's Office
For Motion Picture and Television Development
Dear Friends:
It gives me great pleasure to send greetings and congratulations to everyone gathered at the historic Woolworth Estate in Glen Cove for the Long Island Film and Television Foundation and the Nassau County Film Commission's "Salute to Independent Filmmakers" Gala!
In recent Years, New York State has received worldwide recognition for being what it has always known it to be... the Capital of Independent Filmmaking. And with prestigious indie credits like "Judy Berlin," "Campbell Scott's Hamlet", "Ghost Dog," and "Jingle Hell", Long Island is largely the reason why.
No matter the size or budget of a film, Long Island has always functioned as home and backdrop for an industry which continues to proffer us entertainment and enlightenment.
Under the leadership of Governor Pataki, the New York State Governor's Office for Motion Picture and Television Development is committed to encourage the growth of the film industry and the econimic development it brings to our state and to every community in which filming takes place. I appreciate the enthusiastic support you have providedus in our efforts.
Let us continue to work together to keep Long Island strong and let us continue to support initiatives which give us reason to celebrate the wondrous possibilities of this region and its people.
With my warm regards to all.
Sincerely,
Pat Swinney Kaufman
New York State Deputy Commissioner
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Thomas R. Suozzi
Nassau County Executive
 Prior to being sworn-in as Nassau County's chief executive on January 1, 2002, Tom Suozzi, 39, was a four-term Mayor in the City of Glen Cove. Before becoming Mayor, Tom, a certified public accountant and an attorney, worked as an auditor with the international accounting firm of Arthur Andersen &Co. and as a commercial litigator with the prestigious New York City law firm of Shearman & Sterling.
Thomas R. Suozzi
Elected as Mayor at the age of 31, Tom was the youngest person ever to have been the Glen Cove's mayor and the youngest ever to have served on the Nassau County Board of Supervisors.
When he was first elected Mayor of Glen Cove, Tom inherited multi-million dollar deficits in Glen Cove strikingly similar to that of which he inherited in Nassau County today. In 1994, Glen Cove's bond rating had been reduced to just above junk bond status. Utilizing sound business practices, Tom has balanced every budget he has administered and has successfully restored Glen Cove to fiscal soundness and surpluses. Today, Glen Cove enjoys its highest bond rating since the '70s(in the A ranks) and has had no tax increase for the past seven years.
Tom's accomplishments as Glen Cove's mayor are recognized nationwide. Under his leadership, in 1998 Glen Cove was designated as one of only 16 communities in the United States to be a Brownfields Showcase Community, a national model for environmental cleanup and economic redevelopment.
In one of his most ambitious undertakings as Mayor, Tom embarked on a plan to transform Glen Cove's industrial waterfront to a regional tourism destination. His plan to clean up pollution, restore economic vibrancy, and take the pressure off open space by recycling Federal Superfund sites and "brownfields" garnered millions of dollars in State and Federal grants as well as bipartisan respect and accolades for this creative venture. Tom is often a featured speaker on the topic and he has testified before the United States Senate about his waterfront revitalization plan.
Tom enjoys an extraordinary record as a champion of the environment. In 1997, he was the only elected official to be awarded a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 2 Environmental Award. He was named Environmentalist of the Year by the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor for his success in achieving the permanent closure of the Glen Cove Incinerator. In April 1998, Tom was honored by the Long Island Sound Watershed Alliance for Excellence in Achieving the Goals of the Long Island Sound study.
Tom plans to adapt his theories on running government like a business in Glen Cove to Nassau County government. His initiative as Mayor which resulted in reducing Glen Cove's workforce by 10% while at the same time increasing productivity by rewarding excellence. The Long Island Civil Service Employees Union has given him awards for "fair treatment and support." In 1997, he received the New York Conference of Mayors Labor Management Achievement Award.
Tom's successful efforts to revitalize Glen Cove's downtown recently earned first place in the New York Conference of Mayors' 2000 "Main Street" competition. Tom has been successful in bringing over 20 million dollars of private investment to the downtown including businesses like Swezey's Department Store, Staples, Annie Sez, Marty's Shoes, Ruby Tuesdays and other well-known businesses to Glen Cove's downtown in addition to traditional "mom and pop" businesses.
Born and raised in Glen Cove, Tom is a graduate of Chaminade High School, Boston College and Fordham University Law School.
Tom is married to Helene and they have two children.
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Steve Levy
Suffolk County Executive
 Steve Levy was elected Suffolk County Executive in November 2003 and took office on January 1, 2004. Prior to reaching Suffolk's highest elected office, he served as a New York State Assemblyman and represented the 5th Assembly district, which includes part of central Suffolk County.
Steve graduated from Sachem High School and earned a Bachelors degree in Political Science and History from the State University at Stony Brook (Magna Cum Laude). He then attended St. John's University School of Law and worked for a Smithtown law firm after graduation.
Prior to his election to the Assembly, Steve served for fifteen years in the Suffolk County Legislature, where he won his first race for public office at the age of 26. He often won his district with the largest plurality in the county, usually tallying close to 80% of the vote. In 2000, he served as Deputy Presiding Officer and Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Steve was honored with the Innovation in Government Award by the National Association of Counties for his friendly government legislation, which enhanced government employee courtesy to the public. More recently, Steve received the Excellence in Government Award from the Suffolk County Independence Party.
In the county, Steve earned a reputation as a taxpayer watchdog, due to his legislation to weed out inefficiency, waste and corruption. Steve was recognized as a leader in government reform, having drafted the Campaign Finance Reform Act and many other measures to mitigate conflicts of interest in the county.
Levy has earned a reputation as a government reformer in Albany. Besides his comprehensive campaign finance reform bills, he was a leader in the reform movement for on time budget legislation and the creation of an independent Budget Review Office, comprised of nonpolitical economist, that will provide prompt and accurate revenue estimates and unbiased critical analysis of the budget. As a result of his efforts, Steve was recognized by Newsday as one of the only legislators willing to aggressively pursue reform.
Steve has been an outstanding advocate for improving education. His tenacious lobbying helped procure $20 million in additional state aid to local schools, including the restoration of cuts to full day kindergarten programs. He also helped restore $200 million that had been cut in the Tuition Assistance.
Regarding health care, Steve led the fight to restore health coverage for 48,000 residents in the Empire Plan. He also fought successfully to increase coverage for breast and cervical cancer screenings.
Steve has been a leader in the fight to obtain lower prescription drug costs through high volume purchases and requiring insurers to provide coverage in every county throughout the state. His bill to require drug orders from doctors to be typed or computerized will save lives by limiting medical errors.
In an effort to lead by example, he opposed his own $17,000 county raise. Steve successfully sued the county after it had illegally adopted a budget that spent beyond legal parameters. On the state level, he supported elimination of the energy tax and the marriage tax penalty, and sought a 15 percent increase in STAR tax savings.
Steve has been equally active in protecting our environment. While in the county, Steve proposed the referendum passed by the public, which prohibited the raiding of the Clean Water Fund for political purposes. In Albany, Steve pursued innovations such as promoting recycling in the business sector and creating incentives for the purchases of hybrid electric vehicles. Steve also sought an increase in the statute of limitation for illnesses related to toxic torts.
In an effort to make government consumer friendly, Steve proposed various innovations including limiting voice mail in government and implementing flexible work hours.
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