Tom Gulotta? Fiscal Conservative?
Sure. Mention "tax" and "revolt" in the same breath -- let alone on the same lawn sign (when the local GOP lackeys aren't stealing the opposition's placards) -- and you raise eyebrows, if not votes.
Visions of tea parties, and their Alice In Wonderland approach to reducing property taxes notwithstanding, does the Republican candidate for Nassau County Executive really have a plan -- any plan -- for cutting taxes (short of a return to the Gulottaesque days of borrowing to the point of saddling the county with near-insurmountable debt to offset tax increases)?
We've scoured Ed Mangano's website for some ideas -- substance rather than rhetoric -- and have found only this:
Ed has a plan to: stop wasteful spending; freeze and fix Nassau’s broken tax assessment system, saving $100 million dollars annually; repeal Nassau’s home energy tax and, most importantly, create jobs and opportunities in Nassau County.
Hmm. Ed has a plan.
Nixon had a "plan" to end the war in Vietnam and beat back inflation. Those of us old enough to remember are still trying to figure out exactly what that plan was.
Other than Ed's bold, if not bald, allusion to a plan, there are no specifics.
In fact, dig deeper -- into campaign literature and press releases (self-serving though they are), and you will find the details of any plan to bring about tax relief to be sparse, if not nonexistent.
Indeed, neither Ed Mangano nor the Republicans in the County Legislature (many of whom were party to the Gulotta debacle, way back when) have any new ideas or initiatives, save the repeal of the home energy tax (which we would encourage the Dems to support), to lower property taxes.
And, by the way, speaking of property taxes, the County portion of our property tax bill is but 17.50% of the total levy, Town taxes (including the Special Districts) accounting for 20%, and school taxes (including library) a whopping 62.50%. Your Town and School mileage may vary, plus or minus a percentage point.
Getting a grip on the real tax burden culprit -- school taxes -- is beyond the pale of either the County Executive or the County Legislature.
Yes, they can point fingers at Albany and the local school boards -- the former shortchanging Long Island, the latter engaging in the smoke and mirrors of zero budget increases that nonetheless portend increased tax levies (by reason of the folks in Albany shortchanging us).
Beyond that, the race for County Exec has little to do with property taxes, let alone a tax revolt.
Oh, its nice to have catch phrases that buy into the public's desires -- ala Create Green Jobs or Stop The Wasteful Spending (this from the folks who brought wasteful spending to new heights during their tenure) -- or that prey upon the public's fears -- as in Stop Punishing Nassau County Homeowners!
Nice soundbites, signifying absolutely nothing.
What Nassau County residents truly need is not the rhetoric of fear or a throwback to yesteryear, but rather, a genuine, and viable plan to move Nassau County out of the 1950s, and into the 21st Century.
Wait a minute. Isn't that what Ed Mangano's opponent, Nassau County Exec Tom Suozzi, has already put on the table? A visionary plan to rebuild, redevelop, create green jobs, boost the local economy, and preserve and enhance America's first suburb. A plan, in large part, now being stalled, waylayed, and detoured by the very party Ed Mangano seeks to return to power in Nassau County!
Everyone agrees. Ed Mangano is a nice guy. But nice guys do not necessarily make good County Executives.
Tom Suozzi, on the other hand, may not be perceived as such a nice fella. [Then again, it takes a tough man...] Brashness, and even that touch of hubris aside, give Tom credit for bringing Nassau back from the fiscal brink, for keeping the County afloat and solvent during this horrendous economic downturn, and for having the vision -- and an actual plan -- to move Nassau County forward.
The Community Alliance is pleased to endorse Tom Suozzi for Nassau County Executive.
On Tuesday, November 3, VOTE!
More mindless sound bites from a candidate who doesnt have a clue-let alone a specific plan- to back up what he says.
ReplyDeleteim starting to think that mangano is to the republicans what mcelroy is to the dems- a fill-in,sacrifical lamb kind of candidate who's running only because they couldnt find anyone else who wanted to deal with the aggravation and stress of being a candidate.
in the end it will be suozzi and the rest of the dems,along with kate. so if i know the outcome,why should i even bother to vote then?
If everyone who asks, "Why bother to vote?", actually votes, just imagine how different the outcome might be!
ReplyDeleteWhen government disenfranchises the voters, shame on them. When we, the people, disenfranchise ourselves, by abstaining on Election Day, shame on us...
If you believe your vote doesn't count, it won't. On November 3rd, make your vote count. VOTE!
I agree with the last comment. I never voted in these non-presidential elections until now. None of the candidates inspires anything in me, but I will do my civic duty and vote anyway. This is the only weapon we have to bring about change in Nassau County and the Town of Hempstead?
ReplyDeletehey community alliance,
ReplyDeleteless than 8% of registered democrats voted in the recent nyc runoff.
you'll be lucky if you get 10-12% for this election.
even the presidentials are pulling in less than 50% turnout.
so how do you make people vote then? maybe you need to realize that all these non-voters are sending you a message:
THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS IS STILL AN EVIL.
when all is said and done,how different are the reoubs from the demos:
ReplyDeletethey all promise to cut your taxes and "shake up the system"but in the end they become part of the system that made the mess.
it doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that politics,at least around here,doesnt attract the best and the brightest ( that also applies to most people who work for the govt)
In response to the last comment, that's even more reason to vote. The system will never change if voters do not participate and make themselves heard. The politicians will never fear or respect us if we don't vote?
ReplyDeleteIf you're not happy with the incumbents, then vote for the challengers. I'm not happy with Tom Suozzi or Kate Murray. I'm going to vote for their challengers Ed Mangano and Kristen McElroy. They may not win, but you have to start someplace to bring about change.
And you never know. So many elections have turned in just the last week of the campaign!
Ummm... You seem a little confused about the history of the Vietnam war.
ReplyDeleteThe American involvement in the Vietnam war began under Eisenhower (a Republican) but was greatly intensified in 1963 when Kennedy (a Democrat) increased the number of troops to 16,000. Lyndon Johnson (a Democrat) further increased the number of troops in Vietnam to 550,000, and over 1,000 a month were being killed.
The ceasefire that finally brought troops home was negotiated by the Nixon Administration in 1973. To imply that Nixon was not instrumental in ending our involvement in that war is ignorant.
Sure Suozzi wants to freeze taxes now that there at an all time high.I don't know about the rest of you but my taxes have gone up allot ever since he took office.How is it the value of homes goes down,and the assessments go UP!! It's time to say good ridden.
ReplyDeletedear community blog,
ReplyDeleteyou say that "after 8 years suozzi still hasnt gotten it right". then you turn around and endorse him. wouldnt no endorsement be the better choice?
maybe he did save nassau from the brink but his policies are making suburbia the 6th boro. sure he's for freezing taxes-now that they are much higher than 8 years ago-and a lot of it isnt albany's fault-its his.
because he has the $$ and the organization-he'll trounce mangano,who is basically a sheep being led to slaughter.
In reference to the last post the reason "no endorsement" is not an option for this "Community Alliance Blog" is quite obvious to me, it's just another mouth piece for the Democrat Party. For a group who seems to know all the answers, the last 8 years of increased taxes and run away spending are easily blamed on previous Republican admininstrations. How convenient! Wake Up People
ReplyDeletefour more years of mismanagement? mo way!
ReplyDeletethe only sensible thing I heard Suozzi say is it was the school tax---county tax is roughly 20% of your bill---town tax is roughly 10% of your bill---the only one that is totally out of line is your school tax which is roughly 70% of your tax bill and almost 75% of your school tax is for runaway salaries and benefits of administrators and teachers----a cap is a good way to slow this thing down or it may be time to consolidate districts-----
ReplyDeleteFrom what I understand Suozzi was bailed out of the Gollata deficit by the state, yet he still has a deficit and blames it on the Republicans of old. Maybe he shouldn't have spent so much on that fancy office he sits in
ReplyDelete