Budget consultant to cost Nassau $174G

With Nassau's deficit projected at $310 million next year, Republican county lawmakers on Monday agreed to hire a Manhattan-based budget consultant, despite complaints by Democrats about spending on outside experts.

The legislative Rules Committee voted 4-3 along party lines to approve a $174,500 contract for Abe Lackman, and his firm A.J. Consulting, to provide financial expertise to County Executive Edward Mangano. Lackman was former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's first budget director and was the finance secretary for the Republican-controlled state senate.

Deputy County Executive Tim Sullivan said Lackman is a "renowned expert" with whom he has been working around the clock to prepare Mangano's 2012 budget, due Thursday. Lackman began work in August under an initial $24,500 agreement, just under the threshold of $25,000 for legislative review.

Legis. Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead), questioned the need for Lackman, saying, "We've seen an enormous amount of outside counsel through this administration."

But Sullivan said the county does not have similar expertise on staff. "There's probably only two or three people in New York State with Abe's level of experience," Sullivan said.

Abrahams earlier had grilled County Attorney John Ciampoli about a contract approved 4-3 by the Rules Committee to hire Ciampoli's former law firm, Lewis & Fiore, as special counsel.

Ciampoli said he had initially retained the firm for $25,000. The firm holds two other county contracts; all three will total about $400,000.

Abrahams noted that outside financial consultant Grant Thornton, hired by a state board in control of Nassau's finances, reported that costs for outside counsel in Ciampoli's office already are $5 million over budget.

Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa) responded, "So much of their report is gobbledygook. I want to know how much it costs."

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority has not released how much it will pay Grant Thornton for the report, issued as a draft on Friday.