Nassau Dems slam time limit on budget queries

Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature shouted in protest Monday when the Republican presiding officer tried to limit questioning on a budget modification to 15 minutes, with minority Democrats getting six minutes.

The rule was announced by the presiding officer Peter Schmitt of Massapequa shortly after the meeting began.

"Who are you to judge who can speak?" the Democratic minority leader, Legis. Diane Yatauro of Glen Cove, said. She said later that Schmitt first informed her of his new rule after the meeting began.

Schmitt enforced the rule at first, limiting Democrats to a total of six minutes, but relented later in the meeting and allowed Democrats to ask more questions without imposing a time limit. "The intent of this was never to shut anybody down," Schmitt said.

The budget measure, eventually approved by a unanimous vote, was basically an accounting of where $12 million in revenue from the red-light camera program had already been allocated in last year's budget. Legislators had approved the cameras in 2008 with the provision that the money be dedicated to youth programs and a handful of other purposes, but the money had never been segregated until now.

"This has been beaten to death. This has been here for over a year. It has been discussed at the committees. There are transcripts. There are records," Schmitt said in explaining why he chose to limit debate for the first time.

Schmitt had set a time limit under a legislature rule that allows him to "set or alter the terms of debate or discussion." Democrats said that provision said nothing about time limits.

The Suffolk County Legislature has a rule saying, "Any member of the county legislature shall be entitled to speak on any question that is before the legislature for five (5) minutes." A a spokesman for presiding officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook) said he has never enforced that rule in his five years in that role.

A spokeswoman for Schmitt said later that he would not attempt to limit debate in the future without first consulting with Democrats.