Web links didn't work initially in Curran reassessment emails

Oops.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran last Friday night emailed “Thank You” to “each of you who attended this week’s hearing on the county’s reassessment and voiced your thoughts and concerns.”

Curran, a Democrat, was referring to the county Legislature’s hearing last Wednesday night attended by some 700 residents worried about the countywide reassessment she authorized earlier this year.

She said her office had helped more than 80 residents with their specific questions that night. And she urged homeowners who had more questions to sign up for a meeting with the assessment office or view their property information online. Her email highlighted separate web links for each option.

Problem was, the links didn’t work.

Several residents emailed Newsday on Saturday morning that clicking on the links brought up expired messages. Newsday tried the links and also got the expired message.

Hempstead Town Tax Receiver Donald Clavin, a Republican who has complained about problems in the county’s reassessment process, put out a news release Saturday, pointing out that the links didn’t work.

“The latest mistake by the county executive is just one more reason that people don’t trust the Nassau reassessment project,” Clavin said in the release. “If they can’t even get computer links correct to guide neighbors to resources for help with reassessment questions, how can we expect them to get the very basis upon which our property taxes are based correct? The incompetence has got to stop.”

Curran spokesman Michael Martino on Monday said the links had been fixed. He did not say when the links were fixed or how it happened that the email went out with nonworking links.

“Maybe the tax collector should have stopped writing his ridiculous press release and hit refresh,” Martino said in an email.