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Read his lips: No new state tax

Candidate Suozzi vows he'll hold line on levies; also he'll accept running mate of people's choice

BY BRYAN VIRASAMI | STAFF WRITER

March 9, 2006

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi. (Newsday / Alan Raia)

Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, looking for traction in his primary drive for governor, told a business group yesterday that if elected he would oppose hiking state taxes.

"I would rule out income tax increases here in the state," Suozzi said at the Manhattan breakfast meeting organized by Crain's New York. He blamed local taxes, such as property levies, for New Yorkers' heavy overall tax burden.

After the breakfast forum at the Sheraton Hotel, Suozzi stopped briefly for reporters pursuing him - but was hurried out by a campaign aide and did not elaborate on the tax remarks.

Nassau under Suozzi, facing a fiscal crisis in 2002, raised its property tax rate by 19 percent. Suozzi and the county legislature have not raised taxes since.

Asked yesterday about taxes, a campaign spokesman for Suozzi's primary opponent, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, said Spitzer "does not plan on proposing new taxes and believes our priority should be focusing on the ridiculous burden of property taxes."

Gov. George Pataki was forced by lawmakers to accept a temporary income tax surcharge over his veto in 2003. The surcharge expired in December.

Suozzi also declared he would not pick a running mate for lieutenant governor as has Spitzer, who backs State Sen. David Paterson (D-Manhattan). The two positions are decided separately on the primary ballot.

"I will accept whoever the people choose as the lieutenant governor for the Democratic Party as my running mate. I'm not going to pick a candidate," he said. "I'm having a hard enough time telling people who I am."

Suozzi joked about a Newsday/NY1 News poll this week that found 82 percent of voters didn't know enough about Suozzi to form an opinion.

Suozzi suggested that a running mate should be chosen by voters.

"Let's put democracy back in the Democratic Party, let's put democracy back in the State of New York," he said.

Suozzi also repeated his intention to root out Medicaid fraud, expressed sympathy for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's fight to secure state capital funds for schools, and said he feels rebuilding Ground Zero should commence soon.

Asked whether he supports using eminent domain as in Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards project, a massive office, housing and basketball arena project, Suozzi said he has already used that power in Nassau. "I believe that it's appropriate to use eminent domain to achieve revitalization of blighted areas," Suozzi said. "But it must be done in a responsible way."

To one questioner, Suozzi said he's unconcerned that his anti-death penalty stance would alienate law enforcement unions because most of them will back Spitzer, whom he called the "establishment" candidate.