Letter: Combining offices in Suffolk
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has proposed merging the elected offices of treasurer and comptroller. Treasurer Angie Carpenter, left, is up for re-election to a four-year term this fall. Joseph Sawicki, right, has been comptroller since 2003, and term limits prohibit him from running again in 2014. Credit: James Escher; Kathy Kmonicek
Consolidating the treasurer and comptroller offices to reduce the size of government in Suffolk County is a taxpayer issue, not a partisan political one ["Retain separate Suffolk offices," Letters, Oct. 10].
I support County Executive Steve Bellone's proposal to merge the two offices by letting Suffolk voters decide through a referendum. This is not a new idea; it has been introduced in the county legislature many times in the past 25 years to save cost.
We are the only county left in New York State to have two elected finance officials. Consolidation would save more than $830,000 a year by eliminating top management jobs and create a more streamlined and efficient financial structure. The treasurer's office remains one of the smallest and most top-heavy departments in county government. If Suffolk does nothing to rein in the size of its government, it will continue to face budget shortfalls.
Joseph Sawicki, Hauppauge
Editor's note: The writer is Suffolk County comptroller.
