County executive money race heats up

Dan Glaun

Nassau County’s political money race is in full swing, with county executive hopefuls reporting millions in contributions and spending over the past six months.

Former County Executive and Democratic party favorite Tom Suozzi took in $1.55 million and spent nearly $390,000, ending the July reporting period with about $2.2 million cash-on-hand.

His primary challenger, Roslyn businessman Adam Haber, added $1.13 million to his war chest, bolstered by a $1 million loan from his personal accounts. His $2.6 million campaign fund currently tops the field.

And incumbent County Executive Ed Mangano raised $1.52 million, leaving him with $2.48 million in funds. Mangano was the heaviest spender from January through July, paying out $1.35 million for, among other expenses, political consulting and television advertisements.

Suozzi raked in $200,000 from Cablevision, from three separate Cablevision-run limited liability corporations and a Cablevision political action committee. The company, owned by Madision Square Garden Company head James Dolan, is a long-time fundraiser for Suozzi, and Suozzi served as a consultant for Cablevision after narrowly losing the county executive seat to Mangano in 2009.

The contributions include two $65,000 donations and one $60,000 from Cablevision LLCs. LLCs are treated as individuals in state campaign finance law, and companies are allowed to give up to the legal maximum to a candidate through each LLC they control. The practice, which effectively allows people or companies which control LLCs to legally contribute more than the legal individual limit, has been termed the “LLC Loophole” by good government groups including the Brennan Center for International Justice and Common Cause New York.

In addition to hundreds of thousands in donations from individual Long Islanders, Suozzi a received $32,500 contribution from 1436-1438 Williamsbridge Road LLC, which is run out of the same Flushing office building as Livingston Development Corp. – a real estate company that has for years been attempting to build a residential complex in Glen Cove, where Suozzi’s cousin Ralph Suozzi is the mayor. The approval process for that project is ongoing, with the city’s planning commission placing the project’s environmental impact study on the agenda for its June 4 meeting.

“Tom Suozzi is proud of every single one of his campaigns that have always followed to the letter any and all campaign finance laws. Tom’s financial support is diverse and is made up of those, regardless of contribution amount or partisan affiliation, who support Tom’s record and vision to turn around Nassau’s finances once again and put a stop to the reckless borrowing and record debt of the current administration,” said Suozzi spokesman Danny Kazin in a statement.

Livingston Development Corp declined to comment for this story.

Suozzi’s campaign shelled out multiple five-figure checks for political consulting, polling, television production and rent for its campaign headquarters. The campaign is a client of Global Strategy Group, a public affairs firm that employes political heavyweights including Bill Burton – the former Obama administration press official who founded the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

Mangano took in $752,000 from individuals and $363,000 from corporations from January through July. Among those contributions were $11,000 from a Cablevision political action committee, $35,000 from developer Frank Castagna and $5,000 from Oheka Castle owner Gary Melius. Mangano also received a $10,000 contribution from the campaign committee of former Nassau County Executive Tom Gulotta, who left public office in 2001 but whose committee has continued to donate thousands to candidates.

Mangano’s campaign refunded contributions to a number of corporations, including $5,745 to Hurricane Sandy recovery contractor Looks Great Services and $20,000 to Bolla Management – firms which County Democratic leader Jay Jacobs had singled out in a complaints to state authorities as exceeding contribution limits for corporations. The state Attorney General’s office has launched investigations into the county’s nearly $70 million in contracts to Looks Great, as well as political contributions from the company.

Mangano’s campaign also spent paid more than $540,000 to strategy firm McLaughlin & Associates for television advertisements, according to the July filing.

Haber took in more than $90,000 from individuals, but the bulk of his money came from his personal accounts. Haber loaned his campaign $1 million on July 9, on top of a $2 million loan in January.

Haber spokesman Galen Alexander portrayed Haber’s largely self-funded campaign as a mark of independence.

“For two decades, Ed Mangano and Tom Suozzi have been filling their campaign coffers with special-interest money, and the results are ugly.  Last week’s subpoena issued by Attorney General Schneiderman shows that pay-to-play politics are alive and well in Nassau County, and the Suozzi-Mangano pattern of kickbacks and cronyism must end,” said Alexander. “Adam won’t be beholden to special interests and will only work for the people of Nassau County.”

Haber’s campaign spent $676,000 from January through mid-July, including more than $340,000 to Red Horse Strategies – a Brooklyn-based political strategy firm staffed by a number of New York political veterans. The campaign also cut multiple five-figure checks to strategic consulting firm Darrison Barrett & Associates.

Share this Article