Which Brings Us to Kate Murray

With Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano falling flat on his face or stepping on a rake with every move he makes, has Kate Murray ordered her "Murray for County Executive 2013" signs yet?

Mangano's Favorite Felon

A reminder of the quality brought to Nassau County by Ed Mangano..

"Of all the appointments made by Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano since taking office in January, one in particular is drawing questions: a $90,000-a-year minority affairs job that went to a man convicted of participating in a scam to sell patient information from Nassau University Medical Center.

"Prosecutors said in announcing the arrests in 2004 that three hospital employees were bribed to pass along personal information about patients, mostly Hispanics who were admitted to the emergency room after car crashes.

Flores and the others "solicited accident victims, referred them to attorneys, coached them to exaggerate their injuries and transported them to appointments with attorneys and medical providers," according to the felony complaint.

Flores served as the liaison between the employees and lawyers, prosecutors said. The complaint said Flores "gave a cash payment to . . . a public servant employed by the Nassau University Medical Center. . .with the understanding that. . . would provide the defendant with patient records belonging to NUMC."

He was sentenced on Nov. 9, 2005, to 60 days in jail and five years probation on his plea to a D felony, attempted bribery of a public servant, records show."

This man is allowed to represent Nassau County. How sad. This is patronage at its worse.. payback to a campaign worker who can't be trusted.

Irony Escapes Ed Mangano

There certainly is a disconnect with Mangano going on...
On his desk is a plaque that says "There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit."
How do I know this?
It's in a picture on the full-color, four page mailing that Mangano sent out listing his so-called "accomplishments" in his first 100 days. These brochures are also piled up for the public all over the county.
He doesn't mind who gets the credit, as long as it's him.
Even if Tom Suozzi did it already.




Nothing like a huge banner to prove your humility.

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.

Taking Credit for Something You Didn't Do is Lying, Ed. Part 2

And the taxpayer funded mailing of lies continued with this great entry as an "accomplishment" for Mangano "Day 39 - February 8th: Announced the County's purchase of Grossman's Farm, a five-acre family farm located on Hempstead Avenue in Malverne."

Maybe Mangano announced the finalized purchase but it was County Executive Tom Suozzi who sought to buy it and started the process that led to the vote in January. In fact, some in the community were afraid that with Suozzi out and the republicans in, the sale would fall through.

Announce the purchase but don't list this as some sort of incredible 100 Day Accomplishment. It was Suozzi's Accomplishment, not yours.

GOP Assembly Candidate Rob Germino Needs Remedial U.S. Constitution Lessons

Once again we see reactionary republicans have little knowledge of the document they say they hold so dear. Rob Germino, the republican candidate for the 13th Assembly District is upset but doesn't quite understand that his argument is false.

We''ll let Rob tell you why he's angry "Rob Germino asks that he join him in protesting a news ban on his campaign by the Anton chain of newspapers. This while the publisher continues to carry a weekly column by the incumbent, Charles Lavine.
"How can the publisher of Anton news continue to print a weekly column by my rival in the current campaign for assemblyman while refusing even a simple letter to the editor by me in reply? I think any fair minded person has to be aghast at such a policy, particularly at a time when censorship is behind us."

Germino is upset that the sitting Assemblyman is afforded space in a weekly newspaper to communicate with his constituents and that newspaper won't print his letter to the editor.

I doubt there is a "news ban" on Germino's campaign. My experience with the Anton papers is that they are more that happy to publish stories about upcoming elections.

And just so Germino gets a better understanding of the Constitution and Freedom of Speech, a private company cannot be accused of "...an egregious abridgment of the freedom of speech clause..".
The First Amendment deals specifically with what the GOVERNMENT cannot deny you.

Germino continues his assault on constitutional scholarship "As an attorney it must be immediately apparent to you that the Anton response, with its huge First Amendment implications, is not sustainable as a point of law."

In fact, Germino with is demands is attacking the First Amendment right to a Free Press.
For some light reading, Germino needs to check out Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, 418 U.S. 241 (1974), where the Court unanimously struck down a state law requiring newspapers criticizing political candidates to publish their responses.

Taking Credit for Something You Didn't Do is Lying, Ed

In Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano's expensive 4-color mailing pat on his own back, it says on the front "100 Days in Office Goes by Quick when you're been busy.... getting guns... off the streets."
Lie # 3: Mangano is referring to "Day 26 - January 15th... Announced with law enforcement officials, a "Gun Buy Back" initiative to combat illegal handgun violence."
Sounds like Mangano is starting a whole new program, right?
Well, he's just taking credit for a program that CE Suozzi started FOUR YEARS AGO.

So to pad his list of (cough-cough) "accomplishments, Mangano takes credit for something Suozzi did. And he hopes voters are suckers enough to buy it.
How very sad, Ed.

For Mangano, the Buck Stops Somewhere Else

Lie #2 is a combo. During the campaign, Mangano took a shot at all the "patronage" under CE Suozzi and Mangano pledged to make cuts, "...Ed Mangano is dedicated to shrinking Nassau County’s bloated patronage system."
Mangano decried the high salaries and how these positions are filled "....the current county executive doubled the size of exempt patronage positions. These positions are highly paid, appointed, and unregulated by civil service exams, many receiving over $100,000 a year...
...these politically motivated appointments are a drain on Nassau County’s resources."

So, how exactly does former (read: defeated) Judge Carnell Foskey fit into all this?
Well, he was appointed to be Parks Commissioner.
Does it matter that he has NO experience running a park system?
Of course not, this is a PATRONAGE job with a salary of $136,000.
What makes it odder is that instead of being replaced, former Commissioner Jose Lopez becomes Foskey's Deputy and keeps his salary of $136,00.
So Mangano ADDS an inexperienced political insider for a high salary and keeps the former commissioner on for the same salary.
This looks like the experienced Lopez will be doing the work and Foskey will be getting a pay check.
Exactly how is that "shrinking the patronage system?"

The second half of this lie is Mangano pledging to cut salaries. How was the Foskey hire a cut?
But there is more....
Three years ago, a commission recommended salary increases for the County Executive, Comptroller, County Clerk and District Attorney. The County Executive salary increased to $174,614.
Mangano opposed the raise and voted against it.
But since January of this year, Mangano has been cashing that pay check happily.
If Mangano was opposed to the raise and says he has "....county payroll by $22 million", why isn't he taking it to the next logical step?
Why doesn't Managno put his money where his mouth is and have the legislature pass a bill that would cut the County Executive salary back to pre-2007?
Managno is laughing all the way to the bank.

A Lie Keeps Growing and Growing Until It's As Plain As The Nose On Your Face.

Republican County Executive Ed Mangano sent out a full-color, 4 page mailing (how much did THAT cost taxpayers) patting himself on the back for things he "accomplished" in his first 100 days in office.
Well, things aren't quite like he says.
We'll be going through his lies here on Nassau GOP Watch and making sure that the truth is known.
This post will start with Day #1 and Lie #1. Right out of the gates, Mangano is not quite telling you the truth.

LIE #1: "Repealed the Home Energy Tax." Mangano said in his inaugural address “The document I just signed makes good on my promise and that of my Republican colleagues, and the home energy tax is hereby repealed.”

Well...No, Not Really.

Sure Mangano signed a repeal but that was on January 1st. The "Energy Tax" stayed in effect until June 30th, a full six months later.
And he repeated the refrain of repeal for those six months and unless you didn't pay attention to your bills, you would never have known he was still collecting your money until the end of June.
When the REAL date of the repeal rolled around, the excuse pushed by Mangano and his republican cohorts was that it was the "earliest" they could do it "by law." And of course they don't say that they can get a waiver and have the repeal begin on DAY ONE.
Hey, how about a refund of all the monies collected from DAY ONE of the "repeal" to when it actually took effect?

The Fake Outrage of Peter Schmitt

The King of Bluster, Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt let the outrage fly Monday night at a full meeting of the Legislature. During the debate on a living wage bill, Democratic Lg. Kevan Abrahams commented on how Schmitt runs the Legislature "...like a Nazi camp."
According to Celeste Hadrick at Newsday, Abrahams had immediately apologized after he said it and Schmitt said "I didn't hear it."
After the comments were read back to Schmitt he began his act "You have a hell of a nerve to draw that kind of inference."
Yes, a hell of a nerve.
Abrahams responded "You are dictating to us when we can ask questions....I am not implying you have any affiliation to the Nazi's."
But Schmitt would have none of that and said "You have some nerve. You are way out of bounds to use that language to anybody in this room."

To be honest, making comparisons of any sort to nazi's is always a sticky situation but Abrahams did apologize.

BUT the thing that makes this whole situation a bit of hooey from Schmitt's side is that 4 years ago, Schmitt said of CE Tom Suozzi, "He’s run this county like a stormtrooper for the last few years.”
And for some reason I'm not seeing Schmitt making an allusion to the white-armored Star Wars characters.
What comes to mind is exactly how the word Stormtrooper is defined:
“storm trooper (n. ) A member of the Nazi militia noted for brutality and violence.
One who resembles or behaves like a member of the Nazi militia."

So four years ago, Schmitt calls CE Suozzi a Nazi unapologetically but gets all bent out of shape when it's thrown at him. To use his own words, Schmitt has some nerve.
What a Hypocrite.

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.

Schmitt is Just a HUGE Liar

He has this gem on the Long Island Press website "I saw no moral indignation on their part when they voted to give a 60-percent raise to Suozzi and a 60-percent raise to [former Nassau Comptroller Howard] Weitzman, and a 60-percent raise to DA [Kathleen] Rice, all Democrats.”

See, the problem with this is that the raise was also for Maureen O'Connell the County Clerk WHO IS A REPUBLICAN!

Oh, and while we are at it, why hasn't REPUBLICAN Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano refused the increased salary?
Mangano can direct the Legislature to return his salary to pre-2007.
Why hasn't Schmitt done it either?

From Peter Schmitt's Opponent Last Year

Actually, that would be me.
I just want to go on the record and say that if Schmitt can't handle the salary, I'd be more than happy to take the job.

Oh, and the Schmitt Raise was Retroactive

Nice to make your own raise retroactive to get some more cash from the County.

(click to embiggen)

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

Available at Politicsland Gift Shoppe:

More On Schmitt

Schmitt is saying that the resolution for the raises were "...put it forth in the full light of day . . . and I stand by my decision."
The truth is that it was clocked in at the clerk’s office at 9:44 a.m. on Monday and the vote was held at 10:15am. It may have been light out but there was no time for discussion, debate or public input.
If Schmitt believes he deserved the raise he should have had the guts to hold a public hearing on it.
What was he so afraid of?
Oh, right.... He'd get raked over the coals and his spineless republican cohorts would re-think voting yes.

Happily the public is not taking this blatant money-grab so Schmitt is trying whatever he can to make excuses for why he is right. For years he has been attacking Democrats for what he perceived to be grave transgressions and in suggests he will be better than the Democrats. So why does Schmitt's excuse for the raises boil down to "Bu... bu...but... the Democrats"?
Schmitt says "All I did was what former presiding officer Judy Jacobs tried to do three times. I didn't see the Democratic legislators holding news conferences against her. . . . Nor did I see Democratic indignation when they voted to increase former County Executive [Thomas] Suozzi's salary by 60 percent."

Legislator Jacobs shines the light of truth and slaps Schmitt down "I never put any raise proposal for legislators to a vote. And the proposal for Suozzi and others came from a [recommendation by] a bipartisan, blue ribbon panel when the economy was better."
In fact the reason why the idea for raises never went far was because Democrats opposed it. Schmit was angry then because he really needed the money. Now he feels he gets what he deserved.

HOLY SCHMITT!!! Peter Schmitt Gives Himself a 47% Raise.

Less than a month after taking over the Nassau County Legislature, Peter Schmitt and his republican cohorts have voted for a raise for Presiding Officer Schmitt and Deputy Presiding Officer John Ciotti.
Schmitt goes from from $67,500 to $99,500 and Ciotti goes from $62,500 to $84,500, a 35% increase.
It has been a long time since there has been a raise in the legislature and as a candidate I supported cost of living increases but this is still a part-time job.
To quote Schmitt himself from December 2003 when CE Suozzi wanted to give raises to people in his administration "These people are getting raises in excess of what anyone gets in the private industry. It's a disgrace." (Newsday Dec.30, 2003. sorry no link available)

Here is video Schmitt just three years ago when raises for County Executive, Comptroller, District Attorney and County Clerk. The budget was submitted to the Legislature and was subject to public hearings and a vote unlike the sneaky move Schmitt and his partners in crime pulled on Monday.



Schmitt is just a hypocrite. Here is Schmitt on News12 explaining why he deserves his raise.


He says that he is there everyday and if he is there everyday he should be compensated for it like it was full-time and that is the end of that.
County workers making much less than Schmitt does now and did previously when Schmitt made $63,000 went to work every day and worked a full day and never got raises like Schmitt says he deserves.

Just when you thought Schmitt was arrogant enough he keeps on going. He claims he has been "working for free."

No Peter, you have drawn a salary on the taxpayer dime for the past 14 years to the tune of $63,000/year. You have NEVER worked for free.

Bruce Blakeman Declares for Senate; Nassau Republicans Overjoyed

What a happy looking bunch of republicans. Mondello has a sort-of smile while Peter King is shooting lasers from his eyes into the back of Blakeman's head. Schmitt looks like he would rather be at the Forest Inn (that's probably where he left his tie.) D'Amato is trying to figure an angle in this where he can make money and The Accidental County Executive Ed Mangano continues to look like a deer in the headlights.
It's like all that is wrong is gathered on one stage.

(Click image to embiggin.)

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.