Was the NUMC manager fired because of his ties to Democrat Chairman Jay Jacobs?

point of day

The fighting at NUMC is heating up

The turmoil at Nassau University Medical Center exploded this week when NUMC Chairman Matthew Bruderman fired the hospital’s chief operating officer, John Donnelly, The Point has learned.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the discussion confirmed that Bruderman called Donnelly on Monday to inform Donnelly that he was being fired without cause and without board approval.

The move apparently came without the knowledge or support of Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive who selected Bruderman for the job and is responsible for filling much of the hospital’s board.

“County Executive Blakeman was unaware that Mr. Donnelly was fired and regrets that such an action was taken while negotiating the financial affairs of Nassau University Medical Center with the state,” Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle told The Point. “The county board would have preferred to maintain the status quo pending these negotiations.”

Donnelly, who served as deputy county executive for operations under former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi, was named COO in 2020 when Democrat Laura Curran led the district. At this point, Donnelly’s appointment was scheduled to last three years, ending in December 2023, according to NUMC board minutes.

While it’s unclear what exactly led to Bruderman’s decision or why it happened now, Donnelly has long been in Bruderman’s crosshairs.

At a frantic town hall meeting in March, Bruderman blasted the COO without mentioning his name, saying Donnelly was “taken there in the middle of the night on an appointment.”

“Both parties tell me, ‘You can’t get rid of this guy. This is going to cause a lot of trouble,'” Bruderman said at the time. “I like trouble.”

That’s when Bruderman noted that Donnelly had roomed with Jay Jacobs, the state Democratic Party chairman, in college. However, Jacobs told The Point that while the two attended college together and remain close friends, they are not roommates.

But Jacobs said he believes his friendship with Donnelly — and recent comments Jacobs made about nepotism among Republicans — played a role in Bruderman’s decision.

“I think it’s a shot across my bow, like I might have had something to do with it,” Jacobs said. “If someone feels like you can hurt them and punish me, that’s just the worst thing about politics.”

“You take a good guy and fire him to send a message,” Jacobs said. “Well, I have news for you. The message has gotten through, but don’t think this is the end of the story.”

Jacobs’ connection to Donnelly may not be the only reason for the move. Donnelly’s firing came just weeks after Bruderman attempted to appoint Megan Ryan as interim president and chief executive officer – a move that was not implemented because the scheduled board meeting was canceled just hours before it was scheduled to take place. And it comes as state officials discuss the possibility of taking control of the hospital and installing a temporary operator.

“As we have stated, responsibility for NUMC lies with the county,” said Gordon Tepper, a spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul. “The state is currently working with the district on a solution for the future.”

The Point received a response from a NUMC public affairs email address signed only by the name “Tom” that said: “We do not comment on personnel changes. Thank you for your inquiry.”

In an email to Bruderman, Ryan and the board on Tuesday, NUMC board member Jason Abelove said he believes Donnelly’s firing violates NUMC board bylaws and could expose the hospital to a lawsuit “based on political party discrimination.” .

“I think it’s fair to conclude that this termination was in retaliation for your frustration with what you perceived to be a possible Democratic takeover (sic) of power in NYS and the fact that NYS is not funding the hospitals to the extent that you are would do it like,” Abelove wrote.

—Randi F. Marshall [email protected]

pencil tip

Pet peeves

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Last point

SALT: A seasoning for election season

In April 2023, during a long flight on a congressional visit to Israel, Rep. Nick LaLota pushed a salt shaker half a dozen times in front of then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who finally asked, “Are you messing with me?”

LaLota, who is seeking re-election in the 1st Congressional District this year, responded that yes, he wanted SALT, short for state and local taxes, to be on the leader’s mind. It was a nod to the fact that President Donald Trump signed legislation in 2017 that capped SALT deductions on federal tax forms at $10,000 — a monumental change that has imposed a higher tax burden on many Long Islanders. Since then, the region’s elected officials have been trying to repeal, or at least significantly raise, the dreaded SALT cap.

The salt shaker anecdote was reported in Newsday last August. Now there is a follow-up. Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, also up for re-election, suggested in an interview with the editorial board Tuesday that the Long Island delegation continues to use salt shakers as a symbolic prop.

“There have been cases where salt shakers were handed to the chairman of Ways and Means,” D’Esposito said, referring to Jason Smith of Missouri. “We had dinner with the Speaker of the House of Representatives [now Mike Johnson] “Where every salt shaker stands in front of him,” D’Esposito said. “If we happen to be at a restaurant, we send Chairman Smith a margarita with salt.” We try to mix it up.

“We threatened [to send] Bringing truckloads of snow salt to his farm, but that’s going too far.

At his recent rally at Nassau Coliseum, Trump showed he’s running just a little against his own record, promising that full or partial restoration of SALT would cost “thousands of dollars for the residents of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and others.” “Countries will save states.” Democrats have pointed out that Trump’s SALT cap, which was aimed at punishing blue states, is set to expire next year anyway — assuming their party retains power.

D’Esposito said Tuesday that he and his colleagues were able to meet with Trump before the rally at Nassau Coliseum. “He pointed it out to us, and I was pleasantly surprised that he mentioned it in the Coliseum,” D’Esposito said, noting that Democrats would not have destroyed Trump’s SALT cap when they had majorities in both houses of Congress and The White House held the House in 2021 and 2022.

On September 17, the day before the rally, D’Esposito posted a depiction of a salt shaker on his “X” account.

–Dan Janison [email protected]

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