I have one word for any of our elected officials in Nassau County wondering why residents are so upset about the botched rollout of school zone speed cameras: taxes.
Not only was the speed camera program implemented poorly, with little or no advance notice, but the hardworking people of Nassau see right through false pretenses to the program’s intent, which is to raise revenue. That makes it a tax.
While I wholeheartedly support efforts to improve traffic safety in school zones and to keep our children safe, balancing mismanaged government budgets on the backs of taxpayers through fees and fines is simply unfair.
Nassau County has wasted millions under [Nassau County Executive] Ed Mangano by failing to refinance their high interest rate debt, and areas like the Town of Oyster Bay are close to insolvency because of mismanaged budgets.
In order to get Nassau running again, Nassau county officials should be working together to broaden our tax base, not fleecing current residents, who are already overtaxed to begin with.
I believe that the keys to balanced budgets in government are residents who are employed and thriving, and holding officials accountable for responsible financial management.
I’m running for state Senate to reduce our tax burden and to use my experience in business to stop problems like this before they start.
I’ve released detailed plans to lower property taxes for Nassau residents and to launch concentrated business hubs throughout our County, and I will continue offering fresh ideas to jumpstart our economy.
In the meantime, let’s make sure we don’t make taxpayers pay for government mistakes.
Let’s implement school zone speed cameras in a responsible and deliberate fashion so Nassau residents don’t continue to be blindsided by a tax masquerading as a ticket.
Adam Haber
Democratic candidate for state Senate, 7th District
