Editorial: Howard Weitzman for Nassau County comptroller

Nassau County taxpayers need a stern fiscal watchdog in the comptroller's seat to keep tabs on how their money is spent and accounted for.

Nassau's finances are in desperate straits, and the county executive, no matter who wins, will tend to spin the actions he takes, and their effectiveness, in his favor. But the comptroller needs to eschew party loyalty and unspin the double-talk in favor of straight truth.

In the comptroller's race, as in the county executive contest, the incumbent is being challenged by a candidate who held the job for two terms before being beaten. Republican George Maragos is comptroller now. Democrat Howard Weitzman used to be. Both have provided plenty of track record to judge who is better suited to the position.

During his tenure, Weitzman, 67, of North Hills, could be thorny and difficult, and often got under the skin of fellow Democrat Thomas Suozzi, then the county executive. The only certified public accountant to serve as comptroller, Weitzman was dedicated and exacting.

He often highlighted the fact that the county's financial obligations exceeded its likely revenue, and argued that serious changes were needed in benefits and spending to stop an endless future of revenue gaps. He audited the operations of county offices and was candid about their shortcomings. He also audited small taxing bodies, and at times uncovered serious abuses. In Hempstead Sanitary District No. 1, for instance, he reported a lack of financial controls, unjustified expenses and a treasurer who wore that hat for five public entities. And when he disagreed with Suozzi, he said so. Weitzman could be an irritating nit-picker, but it served taxpayers well.

Maragos, 64, of Russell Gardens, has not been as good. A successful businessman who immigrated to the United States from Greece as a child, his story is heartwarming and his manner affable. But he hasn't shown the dedication and accounting knowledge Weitzman did, and his political aspirations have hampered his performance.

Only five months after he was sworn in as comptroller, Maragos announced he would challenge Sen. Charles Schumer in the 2010 election. The Republican Party declined to nominate him for the race, which he later characterized as more of an opportunity to meet political leaders around the state than a serious run. But that's not what he was elected to do. Nonplused by his nonstarter campaign, Maragos followed up by announcing a run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in 2012. He finished a distant third in the Republican primary.

Beyond taking him away from his Nassau duties, Maragos's political ambitions also stole his objective voice. For instance, he was critical of County Executive Edward Mangano's plan to induce early retirements by county employees in 2010. But Maragos' need to seek Republican support for the run against Gillibrand coincided with a tendency to be much more supportive of Mangano's budgeting follies.

Even after his Senate bid, Maragos was touting silly numbers. The worst example was in January, when he declared that the county generated a $25-million surplus in 2012. But Maragos had said in July 2012 there would be a deficit of $45 million, and in November that the shortfall would be $12 million. How did that turn into a surplus two months later? "It's miraculous, in a way," Maragos said. In fact the county, according to generally accepted accounting principles, had a shortfall of $85 million, and masked it by borrowing to pay operational costs, ignoring tax refunds owed and using reserves.

Maragos had a duty to point out these manipulations. We believe Weitzman would have. We also believe Weitzman when he says he'll go after waste and watch the budget like a hawk if he is elected.

Newsday endorses Weitzman.