John Fumagalli succeeds Sheldon Anderson at Northern Trust Florida

Northern Trust has named John Fumagalli President of Northern Trust in Florida. Fumagalli succeeds well-known banker Sheldon Anderson, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

A Northern Trust veteran, Fumagalli joined Northern Trust in Chicago in 1989. In the years since he was served as President and CEO of Northern Trust in Missouri, President and CEO for the Southwest Florida region and regional head of West Florida. In his new position, he oversees Northern Trust’s 22 offices across the state.

Anderson, who has served as Chairman and CEO of Northern Trust’s Southeast Region since 2009, will retire on December 31, 2012. He will continue in a new capacity as Chairman of Northern Trust’s Florida Advisory Board.

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Miami-Dade elections report: County to blame for some problems

The waits of up to seven hours at some Miami-Dade polls during last month’s presidential election occurred in part because the county failed to estimate how much time it would take to fill out 10- to 12-page ballots, did not open more early-voting sites and decided not draw new precincts this year as planned, a report issued Wednesday concluded.

A last-minute surge in absentee ballots that overwhelmed the elections department staff, and a 12-hour Election Day breakdown of a machine that sorts the ballots also delayed the final results tally by two days, according to the department’s after-action report.

Wednesday’s report was the first comprehensive document outlining all of the factors that contributed to troubles in Miami-Dade. State officials, local elected leaders and county administrators have been piecing it together since the Nov. 6 election.

Some of the blame lies with Florida lawmakers, who placed 11 lengthy constitutional amendments on the ballot and cut the number of early-voting days to eight from 14.

But the 53-page report, while not providing any explicit mea culpas, also places responsibility on the county’s election department, run by Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s appointed elections supervisor, Penelope Townsley.

“It was a combination of factors,” Gimenez told The Miami Herald Wednesday evening. “But I can’t put the blame on any one person or one entity. The blame can go all the way around.”

The report points to seven key factors that affected the election, which was budgeted to cost $11.3 million:

• The length of the ballot: The ballot ran 10 to 12 pages, largely thanks to 11 state constitutional amendments and, though the report doesn’t mention them, 10 county charter questions.

• How long it took voters to fill out their ballots: While the department focused on educating voters, an estimate of the average voting time “may have yielded a better gauge for managing the wait times.”

• The number of early-voting sites: The state limits the sites to elections offices, city halls and public libraries. Miami-Dade could have opened more sites, but it budgeted for and stuck with its traditional 20 sites.

• Processing absentee ballots: Miami-Dade received a record number of absentee ballots — including more than 55,000 on Election Day and the day before — which take longer to tabulate because they require workers to verify individual signatures. There were glitches with the post office, only 60 of 150 hired seasonal workers assigned to open ballots showed up to work, and the machine that sorts ballots broke down for 12 hours beginning at 2:30 a.m. Election Day, further delaying the vote count.

• Delays at polling places: Miami-Dade checks in voters manually, using paper voter registries, on Election Day, instead of using quicker and more accurate (and more expensive) electronic registries available at early-voting sites.• Not reprecincting: Though the department had planned to draw new precincts, following once-a-decade legislative redistricting, it ultimately decided not to because the mayor and several commissioners feared new polling places would confuse voters. More than a quarter of the county’s voters would have been relocated, according to the report.

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Apple is dominating the small and medium business market in Q4

Title Post: Apple is dominating the small and medium business market in Q4
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Hollywood's Complicated Relationship with Guns

Following the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Hollywood has been taking a more critical look at the use of violence in film.

Many stars, including the cast of Jack Reacher, admit that violence in film is prevalent, but they do their best not to glorify violence by showing the brutality as well as the consequences of those actions.

RELATED: Jack Reacher Cast Talks School Tragedy

"Interestingly, Jack Reacher, our hero, is capable of great violence, but he's a protector of the innocents and he's a seeker after justice," Rosamund Pike told ET in a recent interview. "He's an unarmed man and when he does get armed it's because he's taken a weapon out of the hands of a bad guy."

Paramount has re-edited some of the film's more violent scenes before its Friday opening.

Matt Belloni of The Hollywood Reporter points to video games as another medium that exposes youngsters to violence, but he acknowledges that they don't necessarily make users more destructive.

"Are video games making people more violent, or are they just unlocking things that are already in these people," Belloni said.

Watch the clip for more.

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Madoff victims angry Ponzi schemer brother gets pricey meal ahead of sentencing

They hope you choke!

Two of Bernie Madoff's victims are outraged that his younger brother got to publicly scarf down a pricey meal ahead of his sentencing tomorrow for helping pull off the world's biggest Ponzi scheme.

In a letter to the judge, Jill and Nancy Miller said they are "very unhappy" that Peter Madoff got his punishment postponed from Nov. 9.

"This man was not using the time for getting his 'tax' situation resolved he was out an(d) about enjoying a leisurely lunch in an expensive Upper East Side restaurant where many of his victims would like to eat but can't afford too (sic)," the hand-written missive says.

"He has his nerve showing his face and flaunting his freedom."

The Millers also said they "hope he savored the food 'cause that's not what he will get in PRISON!"

Another wiped-out victim, Natalie Erger, noted with disdain how Peter Madoff has asked to remain free so he can attended his daughter's Bat Mitzvah next month.

"My grandson will be a Bar Mitzvah in November....How can we pay to fly? How much would it cost to drive? What about food and lodging?" she wrote.

"Thanks Madoff brothers."

On the other hand, Robert Roman -- whose wife, Joan, is Bernie Madoff's sister-in-law -- said that while they lost their life savings to the arch fraudster, jailing Peter Madoff "is an answer only to those who seek revenge."

"Peter was victimized as much as Bernard's 'investors' were. His fear of his brother's domination and back-yard bullying, personally witnessed in real time by me, should not have prevailed," he wrote.

"My family will not cast one stone for that failure nor will we receive satisfaction by the incarceration of Peter Madoff."

bruce.golding@nypost.com

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For South Florida hotels, BCS championship a post-holiday gift

This season is bringing some extra gifts for South Florida’s tourism industry: Tuesday holidays that allow for extra-long weekends away from home and the college football championship that will extend festivities another week.

For locals who want to put relatives up in area hotels or just drive around town without traffic, the crush of visitors might be a bother, but hoteliers are happy to have the crowds.

“This season is going to be more robust than last year,” said Howard Wolfson, vice president of operations for Hospitality America, which operates three Miami Hampton Inn locations.

While business typically drops off after New Year’s Day, Wolfson said, that doesn’t hold true this year.

“There’s not much of a lull this year because of how the holiday falls in the middle of the week,” he said. “More people may be going on cruises or spending time with friends and family — or maybe they’re waiting around for the bowl game.”

More than 70,000 people — mostly Notre Dame and Alabama fans — are expected to attend the sold-out Discover BCS National Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium on Jan. 7, filling hotels from South Beach to Fort Lauderdale. The 79th annual Discover Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, with a match between Florida State and Northern Illinios University, isn’t quite the draw but is expected to bring some visitors as well.

But even before the biggest game, South Florida is proving popular for Christmas and New Year’s travelers.

Overall this season, the number of Americans traveling 50 miles or more from home between Saturday and Jan. 1 is expected to increase 1.6 percent to 93.3 million, according to AAA. In Florida, the number of holiday travelers is expected to hit 4.8 million, a 1.3 percent increase over last year.

While Miami International Airport is expecting a nearly 2 percent drop in passenger traffic between Friday and Jan. 6 over last year — part of a national softening trend — the number of travelers still is expected to hit just more than two million. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport expects more than a million passengers between Thursday and Jan. 2, an increase of 3-4 percent.

The Orbitz Holiday Travel Insider Index named Fort Lauderdale the third most popular destination for Christmas and fifth for New Year’s, a ranking based on hotel bookings.

And Kayak.com, which lets users compare hundreds of travel sites, shows Fort Lauderdale at No. 5 and Miami at No. 7 based on searches for flights around Christmas; for New Year’s, Miami is No. 4 and Fort Lauderdale is No. 6.

Bob Diener, president of lodging deals website getaroom.com, said Tuesday that for the last 21 days, Miami has been the fifth most popular spot for future bookings — and ranks fourth in terms of arrivals in the upcoming 21 days.

“You definitely have a very extended holiday period in Miami,” Diener said. “Which none of my hotel friends are complaining about.”

The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa certainly has no gripes.

The 998-room hotel in Hollywood is hosting Florida State for the Orange Bowl and Notre Dame for the championship — as well as hundreds more people for each time period.

“We are at 100 percent occupancy for both bowl games,” said marketing manager Judy Erickson.

Erickson said the hotel is expecting different shifts of guests: those who are arriving early and staying Christmas, New Year’s guests leaving a day or two after the official holiday and bowl game visitors arriving the Friday or Saturday before the game and staying until Tuesday.

“It’s a good pattern,” she said.

At the Clevelander and Essex House hotels in South Beach, rooms are nearly sold out during New Year’s and the championship despite a three-night minimum. Marketing manager Anna Whitlow said the national championship is driving significant traffic — especially among Notre Dame fans.

“What we’re seeing from Notre Dame is not only are they excited about the game, they’re exited to experience Miami,” she said. “And we’re loving that. We’re excited to host them.”

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Judge admonishes accused killer in Rilya Wilson trial

A Miami-Dade judge admonished the woman accused of killing foster child Rilya Wilson after two brief courtroom outbursts Tuesday.

At the time, Geralyn Graham’s ex-lover, Pamela Graham, was on the stand testifying under cross-examination about why she was cooperating with authorities. The two are not related.

In front of the jury, Geralyn yelled at Pamela to stop lying. A few minutes later, Geralyn again blurted out at Pamela that the last time she saw Rilya, she “was in your arms.”

Geralyn, 66, is on trial on charges of murdering the foster child whose disappearance a decade ago roiled the state’s child-welfare agency and led to a series of reforms. Rilya’s body was never found.

Pamela Graham, who was Rilya’s legal guardian, has testified over two days that Geralyn abused Rilya, tying her to a bed and keeping her isolated in a laundry room. She has also cast Geralyn as a dominating, manipulative woman who forced her to lie that a child welfare worker took the child.

During cross-examination by defense attorney Scott Sakin, Pamela admitted the early story she gave to police investigators “was all lies.”

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Ed O'Neill & David Faustino Reunite on Modern Family?

It's a Married ... With Children reunion on Modern Family ... sort of.

Although they reportedly won't be sharing any screen time, David Faustino, 38, is set to guest star on Ed O'Neill's, 66, ABC sitcom Modern Family, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

RELATED: Modern Family Gets Its Own Nail Polish!

The two famously played father and son on the FOX comedy Married ... With Children from 1987-1997.

In the episode, which has yet to be given an exact airdate, Faustino reportedly plays one of Claire's former classmates, who has gone on to become an accomplished professional. When they reconnect at a school reunion, hijinks ensue.

Modern Family airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

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MTA Chairman Lhota to resign, announce plans to run for mayor

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota will resign from his post on Friday to announce plans to run for mayor, a surprise development that comes a day before the agency greenlights fare hikes for next year, sources said.

Lhota will make current MTA board member and former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer the vice chairman of the board tomorrow at the panel’s monthly meeting, enabling Ferrer to succeed him as the acting agency chairman when Lhota steps down, sources said.

Thomas Prendergast, president of New York City Transit, is expected to take over as acting executive director of the agency, which is Lhota’s other title.

Prendergast took the helm when former MTA head Jay Walder left in 2011 to head the Hong Kong subway.

“He has tremendous railroad and transportation knowledge,” said the source.

Lhota, a Republican who worked as a deputy mayor under ex-mayor Rudy Giuliani, has been widely praised for his handling of the MTA during super storm Sandy.

The MTA refused to comment on his departure a little over a year after he took the job helming the nation’s largest mass transit system.

Lhota — drinking what appeared to be white wine at a holiday party at the Manhattan federal courthouse — declined to comment.

“I’m not discussing politics while I’m chairman of the MTA,” he said.

His resignation on Friday will enable him to begin campaigning for mayor.

The law currently forbids him from planning a run for public office while heading a state authority.

The MTA is expected to vote for hikes on tolls and fares at its monthly board meeting tomorrow.

As the Post reported, the price of a monthly MetroCard is expected to hit $112 a month, up from the current $104.

jennifer.fermino@nypost.com

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Don’t be a stranger: Many prefer face-to-face meetings

Holiday time can bring you in contact with customers or clients you may not see the rest of the year. But if you’re expecting to be greeted with cheer you may be surprised.

Frustrated business owners and senior executives say they are turned off by being the customers of a service provider who communicates mostly by email.

Although that type of communication is efficient, a CEO recently told me, “I see them as a commodity — faceless and easy to replace.”

More often, executives complain, they have never even met face to face the actual person on their account — a lawyer, accountant, account executive — leaving them asking: Is this the new way of doing business?

Alejandro Fernandez, a senior executive at a Florida industrial parts company, says he hasn’t seen a few of his service providers all year and won’t let that happen again in 2013.

“I’m not saying I need to go to lunch with you every day but if I’m dealing with you for a year, come out and meet me,” he says. “How do they know all the issues they could be addressing if they are just answering the question I ask?”

Of course, business owners and high level managers are busy, and many time-pressed clients even will say they prefer texting to emails or calls.

Michelle Eisner, chief HR and talent officer with Hollander Home Fashions in Boca Raton, says she knows and trusts the initial contact at the law firm she uses, but spends much of her time working with attorneys there she has never met — and that’s OK with her as long as they are “responsive” and their email communication is “short and to the point.”

Eisner says she travels often and even getting her on the phone is challenging. “I want to work with someone who is able to put a decision or opinion in writing and feel comfortable with that.”

But workplace experts say don’t mistake an interest in efficiency for lack of interest in face-to-face interaction.

Jeff Connally, president and CEO of CMIT Solutions, provides information technology services to small business and has 135 offices, including one in Miami. Connally visits his customers a minimum of once a quarter and requires his franchisees do the same. He attributes the company’s high retention of customers to the on-site visits. “We think it’s vital because people do business with people they know and trust.”

Connally says the visits open the door for cross-selling opportunities that email communicators miss out on. His managers will analyze calls that come into the help desk and bring ideas to the client. Visiting in person allows him to understand the company culture, management style and business needs. “As we listen, we find opportunities to deepen the relationship.”

Consultant Jerry Wilson, a recently retired board-elected senior vice president of the Coca-Cola company, recommends knowing how and why to ask a senior executive for face time. “You need to understand the valid business reason. If you’re just asking someone to lunch to plug your company, that can be seen as a time waster and that hurts relations. Also, meeting with a client to ask “how are we doing?” will be seen as a time waster, he says. Instead, do some homework first and bring ideas for how you can help them grow their business or tackle a concern. “That shows a CEO you care about the relationship.”

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