Letters: Nassau finances are very troubled
Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano trades barbs with Nassau Police Benevolent Association leader James Carver. (Mangano, left, and Carver, Sept. 14, 2011) Credit: Howard Schnapp
Consolidation is a must on Long Island, but we need a good plan ["Drawing a precinct line in the sand," News, Oct. 13]. Closing two precincts for the sake of saving money is not a good plan.
New York City under Mayor Rudy Giuliani consolidated the Housing Authority and Transit Authority police into the New York Police Department. Nassau County should consolidate village police, public safety and any small departments under one roof.
Next, consolidate sanitation, fire, schools and other taxing districts. There is no need to have all these tiny little governments doing the same job. We spend more for this so-called local control, which is out of control, and serves only those who are connected.
People are in fact leaving Nassau County, some going back to the city and many to low-cost states.
Patrick Nicolosi, Elmont
Editor's note: The writer is a civic activist who ran for the State Assembly last year on the Democratic ticket.
In "Precinct shuffle" [News, Oct. 11], your last paragraph correctly states that Suffolk County has seven precincts. However, you failed to mention that the Seventh Precinct was created in the late 1990s because the Fifth precinct couldn't handle the volume of radio assignments, arrests, cases, etc.
The police officers were overwhelmed. The Fifth and Sixth precincts gave up their boundaries to create the Seventh Precinct.
Bob Schiller, Holtsville
Editor's note: The writer is a retired Nassau County police detective.
Regarding the op-ed from Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano, "Nassau unions need a reality check" [Sept. 26], once again, it's the fault of the Nassau County union laborer for our failed and flawed budget, because our local head of state says so.
Naturally, a call-to-arms among nonunion county residents ensues, to blame all union workers, many of whom cannot truly afford to retire. However, the executive still sees fit to wield his layoff battle ax to intimidate the meek and earnest.
Not once in his opinionated article did he detail what he or his fellow legislators are willing to lay on the table, what they offer to sacrifice, or what their role is in being morally, legally, principally and financially responsible.
Thearle G. Hamilton Jr., Uniondale
Editor's note: The writer is employed by the Nassau County Department of Social Services.
I respectfully disagree with Newsday urging the "players to start talking" ["Nassau's alarming red ink," Editorial, Oct. 10], regarding efforts to close an estimated $300-million deficit in the proposed 2012 Nassau County budget.
The Nassau Interim Finance Authority was created in 2000 to provide oversight of the finances of an almost-bankrupt Nassau County. Over the last nine years, NIFA has delivered substantive relief through refinancing Nassau County's debt, while often failing to address the pattern of spend-now-and-tax-later exhibited by Nassau County Democrats from 2004 to 2009.
In Nassau County, talk is not cheap! In 2010, NIFA chose the consulting firm Grant Thornton to provide an audit declaring a deficit of greater than 1 percent to enable taking control of Nassau County. In 2011, NIFA rewarded Grant Thornton with another lucrative contract for ideas on how to tighten Nassau County's belt. The time for talk is long past. The time is now for NIFA to produce meaningful ideas and actually address the $300-million deficit.
Michael P. Mulhall, Rockville Centre
