GOP chief's law firm gets Nassau contract

The Nassau Legislature is set to approve nearly $400,000 in contracts Monday to a law firm with which GOP county chairman Joseph Mondello is associated.

The Rules Committee will vote on three contracts to Berkman, Henoch, Peterson, Peddy & Fenchel, where Mondello serves "of counsel." The contracts involve defending civil rights claims, including from an inmate at the Nassau jail allegedly bitten on the genitals by a rodent in his cell.

Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport) called the contracts "patronage and mismanagement at its worst." But County Attorney John Ciampoli said his office is understaffed and must rely on outside counsel. "My job is to get the best defense possible for the county," he said. Mondello declined to comment.-- Robert Brodsky