Stadium cash slash

Cuomo to veto $22M pork project at SUNY Stony Brook

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo is set to veto a $22.2 million upgrade of a college stadium named after a sitting Long Island state senator that was slipped into the new state budget, the Daily News has learned.

The money was originally earmarked in 2008-09 to fund a “computational biomedicine visualization and drug development magnet facility” at SUNY Stony Brook in Suffolk County.

But in the new budget, the Senate quietly changed the purpose. Instead, the $22.2 million would go for stadium improvements and locker-room facilities at SUNY Stony Brook.

That’s a no-no for Cuomo, who since taking office in 2011 has allowed previously approved pork projects to move forward while opposing spending on new ones.

The facility is named after longtime Sen. Kenneth LaValle, who is described on the college website as being “instrumental in making the stadium a reality.”

There’s another $2 million that’s slated to be vetoed as well. That money was originally allocated to the Stony Brook magnet facility but was converted this year to cover an indoor practice facility/exam center, a Cuomo aide said. “We’ve been clear about not allowing new member items — and changing how previous funding is spent is no way to get around that,” the aide said.

“The Legislature has tried this before and it has been vetoed — now is no different.”

Cuomo has until Monday to veto items from the new budget.

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State Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch has raised the ire of a number of colleagues on the education policy-setting board — a divide that could affect the selection of a new education commissioner and the implementation of education reforms.

Several regents believe Tisch has been circumventing the board when it comes to expressing positions on key issues like testing and teacher evaluations.

“As a board, I feel we’re being marginalized,” said one regent. “We have to address that.”

The regent, who requested anonymity, was particularly upset that Tisch and acting Education Commissioner Elizabeth Berlin last year responded without input from the other regents toa letter from a top Cuomo aide seeking their opinions on education reforms.

Tisch and Berlin essentially gave Cuomo cover for pushing to toughen the teacher tenure and evaluation systems, the regent said. Regents were also upset Tisch, a strong supporter of Common Core testing, spoke of exempting high-performing schools from the new teacher evaluation standards.

“She’s been getting ahead of the board,” the regent said. “This is not her enterprise. This is a public institution that has 17 members.” The divide is one reason the search for a new commissioner is not going smoothly, regents and other education insiders say.

Tisch’s role as chancellor, which she has held since 2009, is considered safe for now as she has a year left on her

term. But the one regent expects Tisch will see far more pushback, particularly since she recently lost three allies from the board, and her prime legislative backer, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

“This is the weakest I’ve seen her,” the regent said.

lll Eric Soufer, who a year ago left his job as communications director for state Senate Independent Democratic Conference leader Jeffrey Klein, is returning to the public sector to work for Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. Soufer, who for the past year worked for a private communications firm that helped during Carl Heastie’s transition to Assembly speaker, will be Schneiderman’s senior adviser for communications and policy.

“Eric Soufer combines communications savvy and deep experience in New York State government, and we’re excited to have him onboard,” said Schneiderman’s communications director, Damien LaVera.