Editorial: Joint effort better for Nassau
Edward Mangano, Nassau County executive Credit: Newsday/Arnold Miller
The soft-spoken news release yesterday from Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and Ronald Stack, head of the state's oversight board, was only one sentence. But the conciliatory tone said volumes.
In the joint statement, both men acknowledged that a "cooperative" and "responsible" effort between the county and its fiscal monitor is the starting point for developing a long-term financial plan.
Ever since the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority declared a control period at the start of this year, the conversation has been ugly and the progress nil. So a more positive vibe has a better chance of producing a different result.
While announcing a truce is a critical first step, it will soon seem a small one on the treacherous path toward getting Nassau back on track. The county has yet to satisfy NIFA's demands to submit a balanced multiyear fiscal plan and is struggling to close a deficit of $225 million in its 2012 budget.
Getting that done in a county with expensive and long-term employee contracts -- and a public in no mood for a tax increase -- will be painful. It will take flexibility by NIFA, creativity by the county and a willingness by its unions to negotiate to come to a deal. And that's best done without shouting.
As NIFA and Nassau move forward, it's likely that input from Albany and cooperation from the county legislature will be needed, too.
Can Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt hum "Kumbaya"?hN
