The Long Island Builder's Institute (LIBI) has appointed Mitchell Pally as CEO. Pally's position will be to preserve promote and protect the interests of the building industry on Long Island. No stranger to Island wide interest organizations, Pally spent 21years with the Long Island Association as their vice president of government relations prior to working with the Weber Law Group in their land use and real estate practice. "We are very excited to have Mitch join the LIBI family. We have been through some very difficult years and we are confident that with Mitch's guidance we are looking forward to a brighter future," said Ira Tane, LIBI's president. Building starts for Long Island have been at a historic low for the past several years and the LIBI membership has been hard hit by the economic downturn, the length of time it takes to get projects started through Long Island towns and the tightening of the credit market. LIBI did an extensive search for a new CEO, interviewed many candidates deciding on someone who has an intimate knowledge of the workings of local and state government and the players in the decision making positions. Pally was eager to begin the new position. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Weber Law Group and hope to bring the knowledge gained as a land use attorney to benefit the organization. There is no doubt that these are challenging times, LIBI has a strong history of working to bring the challenges of Long Island's builders to the attention of decisions makers and I am anxious to start working with the wonderful men and women who make up Long Island's homebuilding core to continue that tradition and to further enhance the understanding of the industry with our government leaders." Morton Weber of the Weber Law Group were Pally was a land use and real estate attorney commented that, "We are fully supportive of Mitch's appointment as CEO of LIBI. As a law firm deeply involved in the building community on Long Island, and as an active member of LIBI, we are thrilled that someone with Mitch's skill set and incredible work ethic will be leading this important organization." Members of Long Island's business community were equally pleased with LIBI's decision. Desmond Ryan, executive director of ABLI stated, "The appointment is an outstanding choice and I compliment the LIBI board for bringing on an individual who has the knowledge experience and expertise to assist their industry."