Political Perspectives Panel Discussion

Liz Benjamin, Host Capital Tonight
Time Warner Cable News
@CTLizB 

Liz Benjamin hosts Capital Tonight each weeknight on the Time Warner Cable News stations across Upstate New York. Liz joined the Time Warner Cable News political team in April of 2010 after spending more than a decade reporting and blogging about New York politics for the New York Daily News and the Albany Times Union.

In addition to her duties behind the anchor desk, Liz is the driving force behind Capital Tonight’s blog, STATE OF POLITICS, which is found on the Capital Tonight website and on the sites of all the Time Warner Cable News Channels and NY1.

Liz began her career in journalism in 1997 when she joined the staff of the Albany Times Union covering suburban government, City Hall and the State Capitol. She also launched that’s paper’s political blog, Capitol Confidential – the first blog devoted to state politics and government.

In 2007, Liz took a job with the New York Daily News writing a weekly column and taking over primary responsibility for the Daily Politics blog, delivering coverage of state politics to New Yorkers in real time.

Steven Greenberg, Founder & Principal
Greenberg Public Relations (GPR)
@GreenbergPR 

GPR Founder and Principal Steven Greenberg brings more than 30 years of political and communications experience to his clients.

His 12 years in the New York State Assembly culminated as Press Secretary for two former New York State Assembly Speakers – Mel Miller and Saul Weprin. For nine years, he was Communications Director for former New York State Comptroller H. Carl McCall.

Steve has also been a campaign manager, communications director and senior advisor for numerous local and statewide political campaigns, including races for Comptroller and Governor.

Since founding GPR, Steve has leveraged his experience and contacts to create successful communications and public relations campaigns for a diverse array of clients.

Steve appears weekly on “The Insiders” segment on Capital Tonight, which airs nightly on Time Warner news stations across New York. He also appears regularly on “New York Now,” a statewide PBS public affairs program. Steve is regularly quoted in newspapers such as The New York Times, the Daily News, the Albany Times Union, Buffalo News, Syracuse Post-Standard, and others, as well as on radio and television stations across the state on government and political issues.

Robert Bellafiore, Founder & President
Stanhope Partners
@BBellafiore

Bob Bellafiore began his career as a journalist and covered New York State government and politics for The Associated Press before joining The Business Council as Communications Director in 1991 and later joining Gov. George Pataki’s staff as his first Press Secretary.

After serving as Gov. Pataki’s spokesman, Bob served in several other senior roles during his eight years in New York State government, including Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Planning, Director of Special Projects and chief speechwriter. Bob was involved at senior levels in Gov. Pataki’s two successful re-election campaigns in 1998 and 2002 and was a senior adviser to U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s unsuccessful 1998 re-election effort.

While working for the Governor, Bob was instrumental in development and passage of numerous high-profile policy initiatives, including workers’ compensation reforms, the Charter Schools Act and various economic and criminal justice reforms.

Bob later served as President of the State University of New York’s Charter Schools Institute, where he spearheaded the development of the Institute’s application review and approval process as well as its academic/financial accountability system, and built the Institute staff into a nationally recognized charter authorizer. Bob was a founding board member of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers as well as a board member at the National Charter Schools Institute at Central Michigan University.

From 2005-2010, Bob served as a Trustee of the State University of New York, where he chaired the Board’s Communications and External Affairs Committee. He also served on the Executive Committee and Committees on Community Colleges, Finance and Administration, University Research, and Strategic Planning.

After leaving government, Bob spent nearly eight years leading Eric Mower and Associates’ successful public strategy practice. As Senior Partner, Bob managed the firm’s Albany office and served as a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Areas included crisis management, integrated communications, advocacy strategy, grassroots/community support, business strategy and marketing.

Before founding Stanhope Partners in 2012, Bob served as Vice President of Partner Services and Strategic Initiatives for National Heritage Academies, a national charter school management organization, where he was chief development officer and a member of the executive management team.

Bob’s insights into government policy, political strategy and communications are frequently sought by New York and national journalists and his op-eds have been published in The New York Times, the New York Post and the Buffalo News. He appears regularly on YNN’s popular nightly public affairs program “Capital Tonight” and public radio’s “The Capitol Pressroom.”

He lives in Delmar, NY, outside Albany, with his wife and high school aged son. Their elder son is a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame.