Mangano's vision for Nassau is too rosy
Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano delivers his State of the County address on Monday, April 11 Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
Generations of politicians from both parties could have told County Executive Edward P. Mangano it's easier to decry the problems of Nassau than it is to fix them. That's why it's not surprising that Mangano was so much more successful in his State of the County speech Monday evening outlining the county's unique challenges than he was explaining how he's going to turn them around.
It is so difficult because the major hurdles, the tax assessment refund system, costly union compensation and even the inability to charge nonprofit organizations for using the sewers have been established via both laws and contracts. Raising new revenue is daunting when zoning on the county's largest parcel of land is controlled by a town reluctant to allow any change. And Mangano himself threw $40 million down the drain by rescinding the energy tax, forced to keep a campaign promise he made to voters when he didn't think he was going to win.
No executive, no matter how dedicated to change, can wave a wand and solve these problems, even with the full support of the public. Fixing Nassau will take a measured, politically savvy and totally realistic approach, and that's not what Mangano shared Monday night. Mangano told us some of what we already knew, and left some out. His most glaring omission was his failure to mention that a state control board is now running Nassau's finances and that closing the deficit for 2012 can't be done without enormous cuts in services and personnel.
Mangano said the county is "prepared to meet" the challenge of reforming the tax assessment system, which sounds about as impressive as having an extra set of batteries for the flashlight in case the power goes out.
Several of his initiatives have yet to show any actual savings, and his one courageous and important policy change -- ending in 2013 the county's guarantee of picking up the entire refund tab for overassessed properties -- will be tied up in the courts for years. Even then, it may require a law from Albany to make school districts, which keep the tax dollars they reap from overassessments, pay their share of the refund.
The same lack of clarity surrounds the county's decision to start charging nonprofits such as universities and hospitals for sewer service, also knotted in litigation. Again, no dollars anytime soon.
Mangano's meandering speech didn't have a centerpiece because his one bold idea -- a casino adjacent to the Nassau Coliseum -- hasn't come together yet. Mangano is trying to persuade the Shinnecock Nation to buy a big chunk of the county's vacant land at Mitchel Field to turn it into a full-blown Indian gaming facility. Getting the necessary state and federal approvals faces long odds because of community opposition and powerful lobbying from the racino industry.
The strongest point of Mangano's speech was his plain assertion that the unions that do business with the county are entirely in charge of deciding whether there will be layoffs and reductions in services. Only if the unions renegotiate can these layoffs be avoided.
Nassau County has serious problems that must be clearly and forcefully explained to its residents. Fairy tales, an overly politicized air of grievance and twisted facts won't do it. Mangano understands the problems. Now he must marshal the savvy, political will and consistent effort to fix them.
