NIFA Breaks News to Mangano and Schmitt: 'You're Our Parents!"

After spending a few weeks calling NIFA "unelected", "unaccountable", etc, etc, NIFA responds to the Mangano/Schmitt lawsuit against them and says "A municipality can hardly claim that its domain has been invaded by legislation it asked the state to enact."
Yup, that's right.
Eleven years ago, Schmitt and Mangano in the Legislature voted to create NIFA to pull them out of the fiscal mess they created back then.
So, CONGRATULATIONS to Momma Mangano and Papa Schmitt. You can't disown your own kid.

Newsday Calls for State Control Board Take-over of Nassau County

Newsday joins NYPost in pointing out the failure of Mangano. But the control board take-ver will effectively end Mangano's term as County Executive and put the republicans in the legislature back into the minority.

Mangano needs NIFA control board

"The longer you wait to fix a problem, the worse it gets and the greater the damage. The same scenario applies to a leaky roof or to Nassau County's looming 2011 budget gap.

The speculative budget approved for next year is unsafe for taxpayers. It could put bond ratings at further risk and result in tax increases or draconian cuts in services. But who should execute the fix? Should it be done now or later?

County Executive Edward Mangano doesn't yet have the situation in hand. The Nassau County Interim Finance Authority, the state oversight board, sidestepped a decision last night on taking control. That was the right call. By next week, NIFA should make public its justification for a control period and the urgency for it.

Yet while a NIFA control period isn't the desired solution, it might be the only one.

Mangano's contradictory behavior is eroding confidence in his skills. He alternately claims the budget is balanced and then turns around the next minute to shake his tin cup. His efforts to get concessions from the police unions have been amateurish. He got slapped down by his fellow Republicans when he sought a sales tax increase.

NIFA, which was created for a much greater fiscal crisis in 2000, remains, but with reduced powers. It's clear that state law requires NIFA to take control of the county's finances when there is a substantial likelihood that the budget is out of balance by 1 percent, which amounts to $26 million for next year. While there are estimates that the budget is out of whack by more than $60 million, the law is vague about when the control period is triggered.

A control board would give Mangano the hammer power he needs to freeze wages, reopen contracts and cut staff. Besides, the leaders of the police and civil service unions are reluctant to make any givebacks unless NIFA gives them cover.

Mangano working with NIFA control could be effective. But politically, it's a hit the GOP doesn't want to take in the New Year, when the county legislature is up for election. If Mangano refuses to work with NIFA - or if the legislature refuses to cooperate - NIFA can turn the screws by halting all short-term borrowing, the county's fiscal lifeline.

NIFA has armed itself with a powerful law firm and auditors. Mangano responded by hiring his former law firm. Republican leaders are sending out Comptroller George Maragos to bang the partisan drums and discredit NIFA. What we don't need is an ugly, partisan battle and costly litigation. That's a fight the taxpayer loses no matter who wins.

After Tuesday's NIFA meeting, Mangano said he would partner with NIFA unless he got union concessions. That's a step in the right direction. If NIFA needs to execute a hostile takeover, however, it must make a persuasive case that a control period is urgently needed and justified. A control board actually controlling the county puts us in uncharted waters. But a county executive who finds himself lost at sea would be worse. hN"

How Revolting Take 2: Rose Walker Gives Taxpayers the Finger Twice.

During Rose Walkers run for County Legislator she said "I know the residents and they know me. All of the residents that I speak with talk about the high taxes. We have to take Nassau in a different direction."
Exactly what direction that is is clear when Walker voted to increase her new bosses salry by 47%. Walker dutifully voted in favor of the raise, falling lock-step with her new associates.
BUT the screwing of taxpayers by Walker didn't start in the Nassau County Legislature. Right after the November election, Walker voted with the rest of the republican Town Board in Oyster Bay to INCREASE SALARIES for her then-boss Supervisor John Venditto by 12% and the rest of the elected members by 10%.
Rose Walker did her old boss a favor and did the same for her new boss. What a gal... or rather what gall.
If that wasn't insulting enough, after running a campaign on high taxes, Walker sorta, kinda forgot she raised taxes in the Town of Oyster Bay by 41% in just 5 short years!
She insults the people that voted for her time and time again.
It looks like Rose Walker hasn't met a tax or a salary she didn't want to increase.

Buyers remorse should be setting in shortly for the voters of the 17th L.D.

Dump Schmitt. It's Time for Peter Schmitt to Go

Available at Politicsland Gift Shoppe:

The Start of a New Error: Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt

Mangano Doesn't Know the Meaning of the word "Plan"

Mangano campaigned on the "Mangano Plan." He says on his website "Ed Mangano has a plan for Nassau County: stop wasteful spending; freeze and fix Nassau’s broken tax assessment system, saving $100 million dollars annually; repeal Nassau’s home energy tax; and, most importantly, create jobs and opportunities in Nassau County."

A "Plan" is defined as: " a : a method for achieving an end b : an often customary method of doing something c : a detailed formulation of a program of action d : a detailed program"

Suddenly after the election, Manganos "Plan" is just some vague ideas.
According to Newsday, at his inauguration, Mangano "...said he would create a "team" to study how to freeze property values for a period of years as he worked to improve the assessment system..."

Now after YEARS of complaining about the assessment system while in the Legislature and campaigning on fixing it, Mangano just shows he HAS NO IDEA what he is going to do. By now he should have had an alternate plan for assessments. He kept talking about his "Plan" but turns out it's all just hot air.
How long will this "team" of his "study" the assessment system?
Why does Mangano need more time?
He ran as a know-it-all and instead we get a know-nothing.

The Accidental County Executive proves me right from Day 1.

Full of Schmitt

Schmitt raises some rightous indignation on News12 about the PROPOSED raises for the County Executive, Assessor, DA, and Clerk.
Schmitt practically screams at Scott Feldman "You don't try and sneak it in the middle of the night without any public scrutiny or without any public debate or public discussion. He should know better."
What the hell is Schmitt talking about????
Seriously.
Nothing is being "snuck in" because Schmitt as a legislator has to READ the budget proposal and then VOTE yes or no.
Schmitt is just plain LYING when he says there won't be "public debate or public discussion."
That is what the LEGISLATURE will be doing before they vote in the budget proposal.
I'm going to try to help Schmitt here...
Step 1. Suozzi sends budget proposal to the Legislature.
Step 2. The Legislature (which includes Schmitt) will read the budget.
Step 3. The Legislature (again which includes Schmitt) will have a public hearing on the budget.
Step 4. The Legislature (still including Schmitt) will VOTE on the budget.

No where in there is Suozzi sneaking in raises "in the middle of the night" or "without any public scrutiny or without any public debate or public discussion."

It is up to the LEGISLATURE to approve or deny the raises.
That is how it works.
To use Schmitts own words, Schmitt "should know better."

Schmitt is hoping that he can fool Nassau residents into thinking that the raises are a done deal and no one can object to them.
Why does Schmitt think Nassau residents are stupid?

Here is the video of a red-faced Schmitt doing a great job of looking like a bufoon.