Nassau party in power cares for its own

The enormous pot of gold former Nassau County Legis. John Ciotti found at the Nassau University Medical Center after losing his re-election bid must be very reassuring to loyal political party members. The bright rainbow of patronage remains to reward the faithful, despite the county's dire financial problems and the precarious condition of its public-mission hospital.

Just days before the end of his career as a legislator, which had a base salary of $39,500, Ciotti, a lawyer with no experience in the complex field of health-care regulation, was named by the board of trustees as the hospital's general counsel. He even got a raise before stepping through the door. His $300,000 salary is $40,000 higher than what was paid to the highly regarded health-care lawyer who left the post, and higher than the going rate for such a position. The new job description will now include the hiring of outside attorneys who have the special expertise required.

Ciotti's hiring came a month after the hospital had to lay off 175 employees, including doctors, aides and social workers involved in patient care.

This latest sign of meddling by Nassau County GOP chairman Joseph Mondello and County Executive Edward Mangano in the operations of the struggling hospital is worrisome. The county sold the hospital in 1999 to a public-benefit corporation to break free from the weight of patronage and contracts dictated by local politics. But it's still susceptible to the patronage germ.

Just over 18 months ago, a freshly elected Mangano exercised his right to name the chairman of the hospital's board. So he replaced Martin Payson, a specialist in hospital turnarounds, with Craig Rizzo, a malpractice attorney now on the speed dials of Mangano and Mondello.

Ciotti, a Republican incumbent and deputy presiding officer of the legislature, was defeated in November by Carrié Solages, who is black. It was a stunning upset following a nasty campaign in which a campaign worker for the incumbent was caught on tape making disparaging remarks about blacks sitting in the back of the bus.

As a legislator, Ciotti earned $39,500, plus a stipend for the leadership post that raised his earnings to $62,500. Now age 59, with 16 years in the public pension system, he is in the position to get an ever bigger payday if he stays at the hospital post for just a few more years. Pensions are calculated on the rate of pay for the final three years of service.

A more justifiable position for Ciotti, a hard worker and an expert in county operations, would have been in Mangano's very own county attorney's office. It clearly needs some fresh talent. Current county attorney John Ciampoli, who has had a long career in party-connected jobs, ran up $6.8 million in bills last year for outside legal counsel to do work his office couldn't.

The Ciotti heist is also boomeranging on Mangano, who supported the appointment even as he begs public employee unions for contract concessions to keep the county solvent. While the government may sound words of alarm, the party demands business as usual.