New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) has tapped President David Skorton to chair the New York Racing Association Reorganization Board. Skorton and the board’s 16 other members will be charged with reshaping the management of thoroughbred racing in the state.
“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 New York Racing Association Reorganization Board to improve the industry for the horses, jockeys, back stretch workers, horse owners, bettors and all who enjoy racing and make it happen,” Skorton said in a press release.
A statute enacted earlier this year gives the governor majority control over the NYRA for three years to reform the organization, which runs racing at the Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga tracks, according the Associated Press.
Skorton already has experience working with leaders across the state and in Albany, having served as the co-chair of the Southern Tier Economic Development Council since 2011. The council, part of an initiative by Cuomo to revitalize the state’s economy, was awarded $49 million for economic development in the Southern Tier region in January.
“I am especially grateful to Dr. Skorton for taking on the duties of chair, and thank him for his work as co-chair of the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Councils, where his efforts have been instrumental in helping craft and put in place a strategic vision of creating jobs and growing the economy,” Cuomo said in a press release.
Of the 17 members of the new NYRA board, eight will be appointed by Cuomo, two by both the Senate and Assembly, and five from the previous board. Other Cuomo appointees include celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Leonard Riggio, Chairman of Barnes and Noble and Jane Rosenthal, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Original Author: David Marten