Letter: Don't sell Nassau's sewer system
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano in Mineola. (May 11, 2012) Credit: Howard Schnapp
Thank goodness the Nassau Interim Finance Authority rejected the contract for an adviser for County Executive Edward Mangano's proposal to sell the county's wastewater system to a private operator, United Water ["Pressure builds on Mangano," Editorial, May 21]. I was always warned that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Reading about United Water's troubled contracts with cities like Atlanta; Camden, N.J.; and Gary, Ind., I am surprised that Mangano has not done his job in vetting this company. What private company is going to invest $750 million and not expect a profitable return? Sure, Mangano says that sewer rates would be frozen through 2015. How convenient! That's after his re-election campaign.
Mangano has stated that NIFA doesn't understand the benefits of the deal. Fortunately, NIFA does understand the deal and is trying to prevent this one-time fix that will not help the county in the long run.
Steven Belmonte, Seaford
