NEXT CITY SCAM

The City Democrats created another feed trough: Economic Development Corp. From their Website: Economic Development Team Hits the Ground Running The City of Long Beach is pleased to announce the members of the City’s new economic development team. The program is fully-funded by a grant from the JPB Foundation. “This new initiative is a first for the City,” said City Council President Scott J. Mandel. “The success of our businesses is a critical component of our City’s recovery. This team of professionals will play a key role in enhancing our local economy by creating jobs and improving the tax base.” Patricia Bourne will serve as the City’s Director of Economic Development. She has had a diverse career in economic development, community development, land use and transportation planning, and housing, having managed the successful reorganization of several agencies. With over 20 years of direct experience with Long Island and regional planning organizations, Patricia has extensive experience in economic development, collaborative visioning, and public engagement. She created the first business improvement district in Glen Cove, redeveloped two downtowns in western Suffolk County, and developed plans for five downtowns that were implemented in Nassau County. Patricia is currently on the board of the City of Glen Cove Industrial Development Agency and the advisory board of The Energeia Partnership for Regional Stewardship. She recently was awarded the 50 Around 50 Award from Long Island Business News. She is on the Steering Committee of the LI Section/ NY Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association, which she reorganized when she was its Director. She studied planning at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of London and SUNY Stony Brook. Sustainable Long Island has obtained three grants to support their continued involvement in Long Beach. Most of the funds are for economic development projects. Sustainable Long Island, a non-profit organization that promotes economic development, environmental health, and social equity, previously volunteered to help the City in its large-scale public input process concerning the boardwalk, holding several focus group meetings and assisting with the preparation and analysis of several thousand survey responses. Warren Vegh, a local business owner and former Long Beach Chamber of Commerce board member, is volunteering his time to serve as the City’s Deputy Director of Economic Development, focusing on outreach to local small businesses. “Our team has already hit the ground running,” said Patricia Bourne. “We are working with the Long Island Railroad to promote the City and local businesses, with Sustainable Long Island on various business-related surveys and community outreach initiatives, and with marketing firms on a regional advertising campaign.” For more information concerning the City’s local development corporation, please contact Patricia at pbourne@longbeachny.gov.