Cuomo Taps DelMonte to Chair USA Niagara; Bargnesi, Nanula, Palladino, Among Other Appointments
By Tony Farina
 |
| Francine DelMonte is new chairwoman for USA Niagara |
Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week made a series of key Western New York appointments, including a new chair of USA Niagara and a new member of the Erie County Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC) Board of Directors.
Topping the governor's list of appointments, all of them with close ties to Cuomo adviser and political operative Steve Pigeon, is former State Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte as chairman of the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary of ECHDC which supports and promotes economic development initiatives in Niagara Falls by leveraging private investment and encouraging growth and renewal of the tourism industry.
DelMonte served five terms in the State Assembly, representing the 138thDistrict, and before her election she was chief of staff for former Assemblyman Joseph Pillittere.
The governor also tapped Julie Marie Bargnesi, a senior partner in the Buffalo law firm of Damon Morey, to serve on the board of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation which is a subsidiary of Empire State Development and was created in 2005 to spearhead the redevelopment of Buffalo's waterfront.
Ms. Bargnesi, who is also a registered nurse, concentrates her law practice in the area of health care and medical malpractice. She is also active in a number of charitable and civic organizations and was graduated from Niagara University and earned her law degree, cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Other appointments, among several announced by the governor, include Paul S. Nanula to the USA Niagara Board and Harry R. "Richard" Palladino to the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission.
Nanula is president of Nanco Group, a Buffalo-based development company and principal partner of IQ Craft which provides eCommerce, custom software, and business intelligence expertise to sales-and marketing-focused organizations. He previously served as president and CEO of Wilson Farms until it was sold to 7-Eleven in 2011.
Palladino has served as business manager of Laborers' Local 91 since 2010 where he has worked on behalf of members since 1959, rising through the ranks to his current position. He represents 675 active and retired members of the Niagara Falls local and his known for his staunch advocacy on their behalf.