“Nassau County Legislator Richard Nicolello, who is also the Deputy Presiding Officer of the Legislature, has served since the county Legislature was founded in 1977 and has earned the respect of colleagues on both sides of the aisle for his knowledge and courtly manner. He is also involved in many groups that serve the communities he represents.”
We said those words two years and they are still true.
Unfortunately, so are the many concerns we expressed about the county and Nicolello’s response to them.
Like his fellow county Republicans, Nicoello rejects the proposal by Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas to establish an independent inspector general to oversee all county contracts.
Singas’ proposal came in a report that found “troubling problems” in the county contracting process, including no requirements for vendors to disclose subsidiary companies, criminal convictions, political contributions or whether a vendor is barred from government contracts in other places.
The report followed the trial of state Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, who was found guilty of political corruption related, in part, to helping a company that employed his son a county contract.
But came before the indictment of Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, a Republican, for political also related to the awarding of county contract. Mangano’s deputy county executive, Rob Walker, admitted during Skelos’ trial, that he was under federal investigation for the awarding of still other county contracts.
Nicolello says the reforms enacted by Republican county legislators, which include a procurement officer appointed by the county executive and approved by the county Legislature, are sufficient. He also objects to the potential abuses of an independent third party over county contracts.
We are willing to take that chance based on the past failures of the county executive and the county Legislature to safeguard the contract process.
Nicolello rejects the appointment of an independent redistricting a commission to guarantee that the county honors the idea of one-person, one vote.
He says he prefers the current system created in 2013 when the Legislature voted 10-9 along party lines to create 12 districts with a Republican majority in registered voters and 7 districts with a Democratic majority — in a county with more registered Democrats than Republicans.
This is a rigged system that serves politicians but not residents with district lines that ignore communities.
But Nicolello continues to do the right thing for his party rather than the right thing for his county.
The county’s assessment system also remains a mess. Residential property has not been reassessed in eight years. Instead, residents are encouraged by elected officials, challenging their taxes every year with most sharing the refunds with law firms who specialize in taking advantage of county’s dysfunction. And those who don’t challenge their taxes, having to make up for what is refunded to those who do challenge, resulting in large disparities between people with similar homes in the same communities.
And county finances remain under state supervision with the Legislature often resorting to exorbitant fees on real estate and surcharges on tickets to balance the budget.
As he was two years ago, Nicolello is opposed by Mal Nathan, a resident of Williston Park who patrols Manhasset Bay as the Town of North Hempstead’s chief bay constable but has no other political experience other than volunteering with several local Democratic campaigns.
Nathan supports a redistricting commission and an independent inspector general to oversee county contracts — two important steps in making the county fair and honest.
But Nathan has not appeared on the campaign trail following recent heart surgery and fully presented his positions. We also have concerns about his ability to fully represent the district.
For that reason we will not endorse either Nathan or Nicolello.
The Ninth Legislative District includes Plandome, Plandome Manor, Plandome Heights, Munsey Park, Roslyn Estates, Albertson, Williston Park, East Williston, Mineola, Garden City Park and New Hyde Park.
