Mangano's opportunity to take the lead

Michael Dawidziak is a political consultant and pollster.

On Monday evening, Nassau Executive Edward Mangano will deliver his county's "state of'' address. After Barack Obama, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, all of whom have done likewise, he has some tough acts to follow.

That he doesn't have much good news to deliver will only compound the challenge. The perilous state of Nassau County's finances is all too familiar. After a tough first year in office, the task of instilling confidence appears daunting.

Yet this is a golden opportunity for Mangano to convince voters that he has the vision and ability to get Nassau back on track. It won't be easy. After years of fiscal mismanagement by both parties, Nassau residents are understandably cynical. The recent news has been uniformly bad. The county's bond rating has been downgraded and a state oversight agency is preparing to seize control of its finances.

It is exactly in these times of crisis that great leaders grab the moment and shine by using the power of what one famous Nassau County resident, Teddy Roosevelt, called "the bully pulpit." This is a power not to be underestimated. It just might be the strongest weapon that Mangano has in his arsenal.

The voters will be listening, and given Mangano's brief time at the helm, their minds will probably be open -- if he can convince them he has a substantive plan that can succeed. The people of Nassau know that the problems weren't created in a year and can't possibly be fixed in a year. Years of increased spending without offsetting revenues had caused a near economic meltdown by 1999.

Since then, there has been some improvement and backsliding, but overall Nassau is a county that failed to put a long-term fiscal health plan in place. Nassau has for too long relied on one-shot revenue solutions like a $100-million bailout from the state in 2000, which can only work for a short time. That time is past. No cavalry is riding over the hill to save the day. There will not be another federal stimulus bill and there will be no help coming from Albany.

Nor are Nassau County's problems unique. Towns and counties all over the country are considering bankruptcy as a way out of their financial woes. However, explaining Nassau's dire situation is always dicey given that it is one of the wealthiest -- and most overtaxed -- counties in the country. In particular, Nassau is hobbled by its troubled tax-assessment system. Nassau also suffers in comparison to Suffolk, which is next door, has roughly as many people -- and enjoys the stability of sound fiscal policies.

Nassau's problems were caused by years of neglect and it will take a large dose of courage and political will to fix them. It will also take cooperation, something Mangano has not gotten very much of. He'll need the cooperation of the county legislature, the unions, the Democrats and yes, his own party, the Republicans.

Mangano needs to be forceful. He fulfilled his campaign pledge to cut the home-heating tax, but that move has increased the size of the deficit. Spending cuts are needed and that means that some nonessential government services will have to go. Some patronage jobs will be lost and some special-interest contracts will go down the tubes. County unions will have to come to the table and do their share. But Mangano should know that the polls say voters overwhelmingly support this commonsense cutting of wasteful government spending -- certainly instead of any prospect of higher taxes.

Mangano should take heart that the tough, no-nonsense budget proposals by other government leaders have won the broad support of their constituents. The same will be true of Nassau County.