Nassau: Schmitt attacks NIFA

The graphics accompanying the Peter Schmitt news conference on Monday were a bit odd: six mug shots of the members of the board of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, which took control of county finances last week.

Each picture gave the board member’s name, day job, and the words, “Ethically Challenged” in red underneath.

Some of the allegations were old, and some had a lengthy story line. Conservative author George Marlin, for example, was ethically challenged because he was appointed to the NIFA board by “disgraced Democrat State Senator Pedro Espada ...”

And, “more than once this year alone, (Marlin) used his position as a columnist in a local business publication to express his disapproval of the actions of County Executive (Edward) Mangano, Presiding Officer Schmitt and the Nassau County Republican Committee,” Schmitt said.

In his comments, Schmitt referred to the NIFA board as, “the NIFA family,” but despite the mugs shots on the easel, a spokeswoman said Schmitt was not implying it was crime family. “It was just a statement,” the spokeswoman said.