Blakeman promotes assistant Nassau assessor to acting assessor
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Thursday named Matthew Cronin acting assessor, promoting an assistant assessor already working in the department to serve in the top job.
Blakeman, a Republican, did not renew acting county Assessor Robin Laveman's term, or make her permanent assessor.
Appointed by former Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat, in October, Laveman's term as acting assessor was for six months and ended April 11.
Blakeman, a Republican who took office Jan. 1, relentlessly criticized the assessment department during his campaign for Nassau County executive last year.
Cronin, 36, of Amityville, said in an interview with Newsday, "I want to restore trust in this department, and once again create fairness, accuracy and transparency, and equitability for all these constituents in Nassau County who deserve it."
Cronin, who is not registered with a political party, was appointed to a six-month term.
Blakeman said in a statement that he completed “an exhaustive search both inside and outside the county."
“Matt is highly qualified and brings extensive experience to the Department of Assessment. He will be tasked with making the reassessment process more fair, accurate and transparent for Nassau County taxpayers. Homeowners have endured years of errors that raised taxes and eroded public trust in the Department of Assessment. New leadership in the Assessor’s Office will be more responsive and better serve the public.”
Cronin's tenure as an assistant county assessor included stints as a commercial field assessor collecting inventory and data, valuing commercial properties, and defending the county against tax challenges in small claims court.
Previously, Cronin worked for a firm that specialized in filing tax challenges.
In 2020, he passed an exam administered by the state's Institute of Assessing Officers.
He attended Nassau Community College and SUNY Old Westbury, but did not graduate from those schools, he said.
That should not be held against him, he said.
“I think that part of my college experience was that I was able to join the workforce at a young age, and I found a lot of knowledge working,” he told Newsday. “I took college as a means to get somewhere. I created a professional and successful life for my family."
Neither he nor Blakeman have articulated a plan to reform what Republicans have called an "error-riddled" department.
Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, a Republican, is auditing the department's handling of Curran's reassessment program.
Cronin and Blakeman said they will wait for the results of the audit before announcing new policies.
Experts had praised Curran and her assessor, David Moog, who resigned in January 2021 for health reasons, for reassessing all properties in 2018 for the first time in a decade.
Properties had become massively undervalued during the administration of former Republican County Executive Edward Mangano.
Last month, Democrats expressed concern that Laveman's term had lapsed, jeopardizing the county's ability to defend the assessment roll in court.
Nassau Legis. Debra Mulé (D-Freeport) wrote to Blakeman last month that "any administrative decision made by Ms. Laveman or her deputies may not be considered legal; for she no longer has the authority to serve as Acting Assessor and direct her deputies accordingly. Failure to immediately correct this lapse will specifically jeopardize the County’s ability to correct assessment errors and deliver refunds to taxpayers who have been over-assessed."
With his new job, Cronin’s salary rises from $110,000 to $140,000, according to a county spokesman
Laveman will work in the county attorney's office, and her salary will remain at $140,000 annually, a county spokesman said.
Scott Eidler covers Nassau County government and politics for Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.
