GOP insiders: Mangano yielded to pressure in reducing school-zone speed camera hours

County Executive Edward Mangano's decision to curtail the hours of Nassau's much-criticized school-zone speed camera program came after he received pressure from Republican headquarters in Westbury to do something to calm an enraged electorate before next year's county elections, several Republican insiders said.

"It was clearly made known to him that speed cameras were doing serious damage to him and his party," one source said.

"He decided on his own that truncated hours were the answer."

Mangano announced the reduced hours at an unrelated news conference Wednesday, catching some of his staff and most county legislators off guard.

Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin did not return a call for comment.

-- Celeste Hadrick