Conservative Columnist Slams Mangano

Raymond Keating in the NY Post let loose a volley of shots against Mangano that should have him and his supporters worried about a primary in a couple of years..

"Are New York Republicans any better than Democrats? It's not looking that way in Nassau County. After six months of GOP control in Nassau, things are largely business as usual. Rather than face the fiscal music, new County Executive Edward Mangano and the GOP-run Legislature are borrowing big-time, mistreating businesses -- and even gambling that gambling will bail out county government...

"In his State of the County Address in March, Mangano criticized the county's growing debt and blamed his Democratic predecessor, Tom Suozzi, for not budgeting enough to cover the annual refund costs. But Mangano is shifting the full cost of the refunds out of the operating budget onto long-term borrowing. That's a return to the bad budgeting of the past...

Then there is Mangano's plan to help the local economy -- or, rather, the lack of any real plan. He made a splash in April by making Nassau another hopeful in the game to get a Shinnecock Nation casino, which he'd put next to a new arena for the NHL's Islanders in Uniondale.

Casino revenues would help in closing the county's annual budget deficit, which is expected to top $200 million next year. But a Shinnecock casino is a long shot, at best -- and wouldn't be in place for years. In any case, gambling facilities come with costs to the community as well as benefits.

Borrowing to fund operating expenses; strong-arming businesses; placing a long-shot bet on landing a casino to close budget deficits: It all points to an unwillingness or inability to do the hard work of reining in county spending. That spells trouble for taxpayers"

Read the whole thing HERE.