Legislature passes law requiring donation disclosures from contractors

Joe Nikic

The Nassau County Legislature unanimously voted Monday to approve a bill requiring county vendors to disclose political contributions for elected officials.

The bill also requires vendors to sign a statement claiming contributions were made without the expectation of a public benefit. 

“Everything that we need to know has to be presented to us,” Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow) said.

Prior to the bill passing, vendors contracted to the county would file campaign contributions only to the state Board of Elections. 

Under new legislation, vendors will continue to file contributions with the Board of Elections but will also need to disclose those contributions to the county Legislature.

Nassau County Attorney Carnell Foskey said his office would review the submitted contributions to confirm they comply with what was filed with the Board of Elections.

Claudia Borecky, who ran as a Democrat for the Legislature’s 19th district seat this year but lost to Republican Steven Rhoads, said the bill does not offer more oversight than what it is already done by the county.

“You are creating more loopholes than you are filling. The proposed disclaimer form does not disclose any more information than it already must disclose on the campaign finance laws,” Borecky said. “Requiring vendors to disclose political contributions to candidates allows the vendor to legally launder money through a political club, committee, or PAC.”

Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) said while the bill fixes only a small percentage the county’s contracting issues, it is a step in the right direction.

“I don’t want anyone to think we have solved all of the contract reform issues you have been reading about in the paper over the last six or seven months with this proposal today,” Abrahams said. “It doesn’t even come close.”

After federal prosecutors accused former state Sen. Dean Skelos of illegally influencing a $12 million county contract to AbTech Industries, a company that hired his son, Adam, District Attorney elect Madeline Singas launched a review to the county’s contracting system.

The report found the process was “a recipe for corruption” due to the ability for vendors to conceal criminal convictions and because the process did not allow for a way to check possible conflicts of interest.

The bill proposed by County Executive Edward Mangano came after recommendations he received by a three-man panel he appointed after Singas’ findings about the county’s contracting process. 

Following the indictment of Skelos in May, Mangano issued an order for the disclosure of lobbying activity on all county contracts and to create a registry of local lobbyists, his first reform to the county’s contracting process.

The Skelos’ squeezed Nassau officials to secure the $12 million deal for Arizona-based environmental technology firm AbTech Industries, after which the company raised Adam’s monthly consulting fee from $4,000 to $10,000.

Both were found guilty on all bribery, extortion and conspiracy charges on Dec. 11.

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