Suffolk's big deficit a test for new Executive Steve Bellone
Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone (Jan. 20, 2012) Credit: Steve Pfost
The bad budget news -- the real deficit numbers that new Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has been seeking -- will emerge this week.
Soon after his inauguration, Bellone appointed an independent task force to take a look at Suffolk's finances and tell him what the actual fiscal picture looks like, now and in the next couple of years.
On Tuesday, the task force will outline its findings to the county legislature's Budget and Finance Committee. Soon after that, Bellone will have to roll out a mitigation plan to deal with the multiyear deficit.
The big number is not yet public, but it's likely to be several hundred million dollars over three years. Fixing it will be painful, and the way Bellone does it will shape the rest of his term. So keep an eye on this issue. There's so much at stake.
