A nominee to head the newly formed Nassau County Office of the Inspector General that will focus on the integrity of county contracts was approved by a committee of the Nassau Legislature last Monday.
Jodi Franzese, who is currently a senior inspector general for the New York City Department of Investigations, would receive a salary of $150,000 as inspector general with the funds allocated to pay her staff totaling $540,000, according to the 2019 budget schedule.
Her nomination requires approval of the Legislature.
The office was established after Democratic legislators refused to authorize any bonds for capital projects for the last two and a half years in a push to establish the position, according to Legislator Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport), the minority leader and a member of the bipartisan search committee.
According to the job description, the inspector general will conduct “the review, investigation, examination and audit” of all county dealings such as the programs, accounts and expenditures of county agencies.
In addition, the office will monitor and analyze “State and County vendor and contractor databases” in relation to the procurement of contracts, political contributions and financial disclosures to ensure there is no mishandling of contracts.
The inspector general will make sure that all entities that seek a county contract were given the same opportunity, Abrahams said.
Former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano faces a retrial next month for his alleged practice of awarding county contracts in exchange for personal gifts. He pleaded not guilty.
His successor, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, ran on an anti-corruption platform and maintains a policy that no gifts or donations will be accepted from those seeking a county contract.
The inspector general will work independently of the Legislature and the county executive and will have the ability to subpoena documents that are needed to conduct investigations, Abrahams said.
Legislator Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park), the majority leader, said that while the inspector general will not be able to execute any laws herself, she will be able to make recommendations to the Legislature, which can act on them. If she were to find anything criminal, she could refer it to the district attorney.
Abrahams said that the office is also expected to make the procurement process smoother by providing suggestions to improve it.
In an added effort to keep the inspector general free of political influence, the term is set to be five years, one year longer than the term of the Legislature, so her “contract will not be centered around a political election,” he said.
The search team, which included Abrahams and Nicolello, reviewed 20 to 24 resumes and conducted four interviews, Abrahams said.
Nicolello said the position received applicants from all over the country. The Democrats and Republicans on the team reviewed resumes individually and picked their favorite candidates and then conducted the interviews together.
The characteristics that made Franzese, of Massapequa, stand out were her management experience, her questions of detail in regards to the funding of the new office, as well as the several cases she worked on in her current position that led to better practices in New York City, Abrahams said.
He is sure “she will hit the ground running in the first couple of months,” he said.
A vote on Franzese’s nomination by the county Legislature is expected to be held on Dec. 17.
