Response to Law: Consolidate Long Island’s Water and Power Agencies
The following letter to the editor was published in Newsday on 9/4/12. You can read the digital copy here: http://www.newsday.com/opinion/letters/letters-merge-lipa-and-water-districts-1.3943313Hello, my name is Richard Murdocco and I am writing regarding Kevin Law's...
Long Island’s Hydrogeology 101: How LI’s Groundwater System Works
What follows is an introduction to Long Island's groundwater system. In order to craft sound policy, it is crucial for the public to have access to data that helps inform the policymaking process.Long Island is unique in that we get our drinking water from the very...
John Lozowski: The Link Between the Local and National Fiscal Climate
What follows is a piece written by John Lozowski, a Long Island-based economic analyst who has his BA in Economics from Stony Brook University, and his MBA from St. John's University. John was asked to give his insights on the impact national fiscal policy has on...
The State of Long Island’s Economy
The following was written for the Community Development Corporation's annual report to NeighborWorks America. It presents a good snapshot of the economic realities that Long Islanders are currently facing, as well as a snapshot of the housing and commercial real...
Newsday: Twitter Meets the Public Square
The following op-ed was published in the June 26th, 2012 edition of Newsday on page A34. You can read the original here. BY RICH MURDOCCO Social media is more than just a tool for sharing photos of a night out or a passing fad for “the kids.” It’s transformed the way...
#ThinkRegionally- Bertoli: Returning to Humanistic Planning
What follows is an entry written by Tullio Bertoli, Commissioner of Planning in the Town of Brookhaven. This is Bertoli's second entry on The Foggiest Idea. RETURNING TO HUMANISTIC PLANNINGAnd the sublime comes downTo the spirit itself,The spirit and space,The empty...
The Importance of Integrating Social Media in Land Use Planning
The following piece was published on Three Village Patch (the post can be seen here: http://threevillage.patch.com/blog_posts/the-importance-of-integrating-social-media-in-planning ) and is being published on the NYMuniBlog. The piece is below:In the last year, my...
Planning to Plan is No Way to Plan
Long Islanders used to get things accomplished. We built F-14 Tomcat’s that roared across the skies of Calverton, we discovered DNA in Cold Spring Harbor, and we invented the MRI at Stony Brook. These days, Long Islanders are known more for our high taxes and serial...
Prescribed Burns 101
It is important for the public to understand the necessity of a sound prescribed burn program for the Pine Barrens region. What follows is a comprehensive look at what prescribed burns are, how they work and why they are necessary: Prescribed burns are a forestry and...
Fire in the Pine Barrens: A Quick Introduction
While watching the coverage of the fires in the Pine Barrens, I was surprised at how little was known about not only the region, but the emergency plans in place in case of wildfires. What follows is a quick introduction to the why the Pine Barrens burns, and the...
