CEOs, TV Execs Among Appointees
Led by the president of an Ivy League school and counting a celebrity chef, film and television executives and corporate leaders among its members, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) Reorganization Board was formally appointed last Thursday, Oct. 18, by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, legislative leaders and the former NYRA board.
As previously reported, the NYRA Reorganization Board supplants the previous executive leadership which operated the non-profit organization conducting racing at South Ozone Park’s Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park on the Queens/Nassau border and upstate Saratoga Race Course.
Under the direction of Reorganization Board Chairman David Skorton, president of Cornell University, the group aims to achieve Governor Cuomo’s previously stated goals of restoring “public trust, accountability and transparency” to the NYRA, which had been marred by fiscal woes and scandal in recent years.
Through legislation signed by Cuomo on Oct. 1, the board has three years to restructure NYRA’s operations and select a new president and chief operating officer before the outfit reverts to private control.
“With the new leadership of the NYRA Reorganization Board, we have an enormously accomplished group to assist us in making New York thoroughbred racing the best in the country,” Cuomo said last Thursday. “The new board is charged with reforming NYRA for the benefit of taxpayers, fans, track workers, jockeys and the horses themselves.”
“The horse racing industry employs thousands of people in New York, generates millions of dollars in revenue for the state and local governments and attracts tourists from all over the world,” added State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. “It’s critically important that the NYRA Reorganization Board establishes new leadership and management that will make the horse racing industry as strong as possible, not only for the significant economic benefits, but for the safety of the horses and the enjoyment of the fans.”
“With these appointments, we are helping to safeguard a statewide economic engine that employs thousands,” added Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. “It is our sincere hope that the Reorganization Board can restore confidence in this industry, one that has delighted New York’s racegoers for more than a century.”
Skorton previously served as cochair of the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, and Cuomo said that his efforts there “have been instrumental in helping craft and put in place a strategic vision for creating jobs and growing the region’s economy.” To become chairperson of the NYRA Reorganization Board, Skorton is stepping down from the Southern Tier council.
“Horse racing is an integral part of our state’s culture and economy, and I am honored to be joining the talented members of the NYRA Reorganization Board to improve the industry for the horses, jockeys, backstretch workers, horse owners, bettors and all who enjoy racing and make it happen,” Skorton said.
In all, the NYRA Reorganization Board consists of 17 members- eight appointed by Governor Cuomo, two by Senate Majority Leader Skelos, two by Speaker Silver and five appointed by the former NYRA board. Representatives of the state’s thoroughbred breeders and horsemen will each have non-voting members on the panel.
The board members appointed by Cuomo, Skelos and Silver-many of whom are owners of thoroughbreds or previously worked with NYRA- are the following:
– Anthony Bonomo (appointed by Cuomo), chief executive officer of Administrators for the Professionals, Inc., who founded the Brooklyn Boyz Stables in 2005;
– Rick Cotton (appointed by Silver), executive vice president and general counsel for NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC and the NBC Sports Network, both of which air horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Breeders’ Cup and racing from Saratoga Race Course;
– Michael J. Del Giudice (appointed by Silver), chairman of Rockland Capital Energy Investments LLC, who previously served on NYRA’s board of directors;
– Michael Dubb (appointed by Skelos), principal and founder of Beechwood Organization, a noted home-building company, who previously served on NYRA’s board of directors and is an active thoroughbred owner;
– Bobby Flay (appointed by Cuomo), award-winning chef and restauranteur who hosts several shows on the Food Network and owns several thoroughbreds;
– John Hendrickson (appointed by Cuomo), breeding and racing manager for the Marylou Whitney Stables, who will serve as the special advisor on issues regarding Saratoga Race Course and the surrounding community;
– Earle Mack (appointed by Skelos), senior partner of the Mack Company, who previously served as chairman of the New York State Racing Commission and the New York State Thoroughbred Breeding and Development Fund;
– Robert Megna (appointed by Cuomo), the state budget director, who will act as the financial watchdog for the NYRA Reorganization Board;
– Leonard Riggio (appointed by Cuomo), chairman of Barnes & Noble Inc., who also is the owner of the thoroughbred and racing entity My Meadowview LLC;
– Jane Rosenthal (appointed by Cuomo), producer and co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival and chief executive officer of Tribeca Enterprises;
– Joseph Spinelli (appointed by Cuomo), managing director of Navigant Consulting, an anti-bribery and corruption organization, who was the state’s first Inspector General; and
– Vincent Tese (appointed by Cuomo), executive chairman of Bond Street Holdings LLC, who previously chaired the New York State Advisory Commission on Racing in the 21st Century.
The former NYRA board’s five appointees to the Reorganization Board are C. Steven Duncker, the former board chairman; Stuart S. Janney III, chairman of the Bessemer Trust investment firm and a horseman; Barry Ostrager, president of the New York Thoroughbred Breeders; Stuart Subotnick, chief executive officer of Metromedia; and Charles Wait, president and chief executive officer of the Adirondack Trust Company.
While the management of NYRA changes, racing is continuing on its circuit at Belmont Park, with its fall meet concluding on Sunday, Oct. 28. The horses will then head over to Aqueduct Racetrack for its six-month meet, which starts on Friday, Nov. 2.
