• County Executive Tom Suozzi Strikes Again •
So, once again the County Executive, Tom Suozzi, and his lackeys in the Department of Public Works have tried to pull a fast one on the residents of Bay Park/East Rockaway by sneaking a clause into the budget that would allow Suozzi get money needed for sewer plant consolidation without the approval of the Nassau County Legislature.
Buried deep in the back pages of Suozzi's proposed $2.6 billion Capitol Budget for 2009 was a fiscal gimmick that would allow the county executive to float bonds for water and sewer projects without getting the required 2/3's approval of the legislature. This would allow the county's Sewer and Storm Water Financing Authority to get additional bonding for sewer projects, such as the consolidation of Long Beach, Cedarhurst and Lawrence into Bay Park, to be carried out "without further action by the County Legislature."
Thankfully, Republican Minority Leader, Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa), called out the County Executive on this flimflam maneuver and stated at the budget hearings, "I'm putting it on the record that if the budget is passed by a 10-9 vote . . . we're going to litigate." Legislator Schmitt indicated he would not hesitate to file suit against the county executive if the budget approval fell short of the 13 "Super Majority" affirmative votes, and if the "without further action" section was not changed or deleted entirely from the budget.
The next day after the hearings, Tom Suozzi said he would drop the budget maneuver. "We're going to change that language," a Suozzi spokesperson told the media.
What is wrong with this knucklehead? The proposed budget has a 3.9% property tax hike for all county residents and includes $69.5 million in cuts already. With the downturn of the economy, many more cuts (about $30 million more) will eventually be made at the expense of various groups such as veterans, seniors, youth, minorities and the disabled. And yet, in these fiscally unsure times, the County Executive wants to borrow more money so he can complete his ill-conceived scheme of consolidating the sewer plants of Long Beach, Cedarhurst and Lawrence into Bay Park.
Why would the county want to drive itself further in debt in this uncertain economy? Why does the County Executive keep pushing for this consolidation to happen? I guess the reason is one that we've known all along . . . Tom Suozzi's just doesn't care about the residents of Bay Park/East Rockaway and the surrounding communities.
