January 31, 2012
On January 26, 2012, the
Center for Labor and Employment Law hosted its Distinguished
Speaker Series featuring George J. Marlin, CEO of the Philadelphia
Trust and a Director of the Nassau County Interim Finance
Authority. Dean
Michael A. Simons opened the program by tracing the Center’s
rapid development and successful activities and initiatives. He
commended Center Director
David L. Gregory, St. John’s Dorothy Day Professor of Law, on
his ability to bring diverse groups of people together for common
purposes. He also noted the importance and timeliness of Marlin’s
talk on the history, purpose, and future of state fiscal oversight
boards and insight into the crippling budgetary challenges faced by
state and county governments.
Professor Gregory then introduced the
Labor Relations and Employment Law Society’s new Executive
Board:
- Co-Presidents Andrew Midgen ’13 and Alyssa Zuckerman ’13
- Vice President Tom Keane ’13
- Treasurer Ian Hayes ’13
- Secretary Amanda Jaret ’13
After introducing the Center’s current scholarship recipients
and Junior Fellows, Professor Gregory thanked the following Law
School alumni who so generously support the Center and and its
students:
- Patrick Boyd ’00
- James M. Darby ’84
- Steve Johnson ’00
- Robert J. Nobile ’84
- Terrence O’Neill ’70
- Mark Pedretti ’92
- Michael Van Aken ’99
Against this backdrop, John Longmire ’05, a partner at Wilkie
Farr & Gallagher LLP, announced his plans to underwrite the
Professor Lawrence M. Joseph Scholarship in honor of
Lawrence Joseph, the Law School’s Reverend Joseph T. Tinnelly,
C.M., Professor of Law. Diane Pfadenhauer ’96, an HR Consultant for
Employment Practices Advisor, Inc., offered inspirational remarks
about the value of a St. John’s education as she inaugurated the
Robert J. Nobile ’84 Scholarship. Lauding Nobile ― a partner at
Seyfarth Shaw LLP and co-chair of the Center’s Executive Committee
― for his professional accomplishments and ability to “personally
guide aspiring students and lawyers,” she explained that she
especially admires how he not only gives back to the Law School at
the macro level, but supports it at a micro level by “personally
impacting the students that pass through its halls.” The Nobile
Scholarship memorializes her desire to follow in the footsteps of
her mentor.
Taking the podium, George Marlin offered a compelling and thorough
historical account of the crises in state and county finance. He
explained the strange circumstances that have led Nassau County,
the third wealthiest county in the United States, to face seemingly
insurmountable debt, comparing local New York governments’
reactions to similar crises and detailing how fiscal control boards
were first implemented. Sharing his view that past financial
challenges were handled effectively because leaders dealing with
them were willing to accept responsibility and make difficult
choices, Marlin chastised current Nassau County leaders for
refusing to face financial constraints and make sacrifices. He
concluded his talk with insights about the future of the American
Northeast and warned that spiraling tax rates and depressed
employment possibilities would drive successive generations away
from New York.
His Eminence Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York
and the Center’s inaugural Honorary Chairman, then responded to
some of Marlin’s questions and comments, echoing the need for
responsible and resolute government leaders and offering the
example of former Governor Hugh L. Carey ’42, ’51L, who was able to
accommodate disparate groups’ interests and manage contingencies.
Cardinal Egan questioned the propriety of establishing financial
control boards and expressed cautious optimism about local
governments’ abilities to recover from their financial woes. In
closing, he also reflected on the religious and moral dimensions of
public service.