Money talks at Albertson candidates night

Richard Tedesco

Fiscal issues were at the forefront of a Nassau County and Town of North Hempstead candidates night forum last Wednesday night sponsored by the Albertson and Williston Park Civic Associations.

Speaking to an audience of approximately 50 people at the Albertson Fire Department headquarters, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, the incumbent Republican running against Democrat Howard Weitzman, said the county is in a “much stronger” financial position now than it was in 2009.

He said the county currently has a cash surplus and is borrowing less money than in past years. He also pointed to the county’s 5 percent unemployment rate as a positive economic indicator.

“On a budgetary basis, the county has had a surplus on a cash basis because we have money in the bank,” Maragos said. “Our revenues have spiked. I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”

He also said he considered the 87 percent rate the county has achieved in settling tax grievances “a positive development” for the county.

Weitzman was invited to speak at the forum, but was unable to attend.

Longtime incumbent Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park), running against Democratic challenger Dolores Sedacca for the third time, said the current Republican administration had lower the county’s structural financial deficit to $50 million from the $250 million deficit it inherited under the prior Democratic administration.

Nicolello said the conversion of the county bus system to a privately run transportation system and changes in medical care at the county are prime examples of the Republican administration’s cost-cutting measures. “We know you’ve paid way too much in taxes,” Nicolello said. “In addition to holding the line on property taxes, we eliminated the home energy tax.”

Sedacca was invited but also did not appear at the candidates night forum.

The issue of the Roslyn Country Club was part of the discussion

Wednesday night, as Ed Scott, president of the Albertson Civic Association, asked Town of North Hempstead Council candidate Sid Nathan why the town board was initially unresponsive to residents who called for creation of a park district rather than a town park in Roslyn Heights.

Nathan, a Democrat running against four-term Republican incumbent Angelo Ferrara in the 3rd town council district, said he thought the town board was ultimately responsive on the issue. Scott interjected that it took 4,000 signatures on a petition for a referendum on the issue to prompt a policy change.

“There was an uprising. We had a good result with the issue,” Nathan said.

He said the key to cost savings is for villages to seek to partner with the town for shared services wherever possible for economies of scale.

“That saves taxpayers money for villages and towns, Nathan said.

Ferrara said he was flatly opposed to the Roslyn County Club proposal as a town park. But he said supported the idea of the Roslyn recreation area as a special park district with the residents covering the costs of operating the facilities.

“Let them pay for it and let them be responsible for the liabilities,” he said, drawing an enthusiastic response from the audience.

He said his interest in doing his job as town councilman is in “trying to make life better for everyone living here.” And he emphasized his fiscal conservatism.

“I’m a cheapskate. I wouldn’t spend public money that I wouldn’t spend out of my own pocket,” Ferrara said.

Town Counciwoman Dina De Giorgio (R-Port Washington), Republican candidate for town supervisor, said the town government need to be less “self serving” and said she would seek to save town taxpayers money as an advocate for all residents.

“I believe the people come first and I mean all the people,” said De Giorgio, who’s running against county Legislator Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck). She said has gained the experience in her two years on the town council to see “what works and what doesn’t work.”

“The number one thing that doesn’t work is the building department,” De Giorgio said.

She said the current problems of the town Building Department are understaffing and supervision. She pledged that, if elected, she would have the Building Department running efficiently within the first six months of her administration.

”We need to make sure the integrity is there. We need to make sure the supervision is there,” De Giorgio said.

County Legislator Wayne Wink (D-Roslyn), who’s running against Leslie Gross for town clerk, said Bosworth was unable to attend the candidates night because of a prior obligation.

Wink claimed credit for helping to defeat the referendum that would have made development of the county Coliseum a publicly funded project.

“We were able to protect our taxpayers at that time,” Wink said.

He said Nassau County is “addicted to borrowing” and said he worked in the legislator to implement a “spend as you go” policy.”

Wink said he is running for town clerk because his county legislative district was “drawn and quartered” in the Republican-dominated redistricting process. “I’m heartened that by running townwide, I’ll once again be representing Albertson,” he said.

Gross, a Democrat running with the Republican town ticket, said she had made “a lot of improvements” to the town clerk’s office during her six-year tenure. Among her accomplishments, she cited creating an electronic documents system online.

“People can already fill out many of the forms they need in the Town of North Hempstead online,” Gross said.

She said when Wink was still running for county comptroller last February, he introduced her at an event she held as “the best town clerk the town has ever had.”

“I promise with my dedication and my hard work to remain the best town clerk the town has ever had,” Gross concluded

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