Five Ways Government Can Stop Wasting Our Tax Dollars

When it comes to tax dollars being spent efficiently, and in the best interest of the people, Long Islanders are skeptical, and I am too. As an elected Trustee of the Roslyn School Board since 2009, a former Director of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, and someone who has attended numerous Nassau County legislative meetings over the past several years, I have come to realize there are many ways our elected officials can do a better, more efficient job spending our hard earned tax dollars. That’s one of my top reasons for running for NYS Senate on Long Island.
To start, here are five examples (there are countless more) of how our government can do better:
1.  If you were purchasing a car or painting your home, you’d get several quotes to get the best price. Not Nassau County. As a NIFA Director I witnessed their contracting process. All they did was list the bid on the Nassau County website, and post the bid in Newsday’s public/legal notice section. Unless you were looking for a bid you wouldn’t know one existed. NYS has an excellent bidding process called the NYS Contract Reporter: www.nyscr.ny.gov. Before I stepped down as a NIFA Director I urged the County to post bids there. Nassau’s bidding process has wasted countless millions. No bid should be accepted without three quotes whenever possible.  As a NYS Senator I will be able to spearhead initiatives for government efficiency across all levels of government on Long Island.
2.  The purpose of any Industrial Development Agency (IDA) is to use our tax dollars and give developers tax breaks to create or retain jobs. However, on Long Island they’ve been used to benefit the politically connected. Car dealerships (who can’t leave their territory) and health clubs (operating under the guise of a tourist destination) are two examples. There is little follow through to find out if jobs have actually been created and if they haven’t, the tax breaks need to be repaid.  As I run for NYS Senate I hear complaints time and time again that the IDA system is broken. Legitimate tax breaks to create good paying jobs are necessary, but the current system needs an overhaul.
3.  If any government agency decides to send you a rebate check (usually done in an election year) it should come in the form of a deduction on your tax return, or be sent electronically to your bank account. It costs the federal government more than $1 to print and mail a refund check, and about a dime for direct deposit. Surely there are more cost effective ways to spend our tax dollars.
4.  There needs to be a diminished printing and mailing budget for “legislative updates” from elected officials, that includes a ban 90 days prior to an election. As it currently stands, our tax dollars are spent on their self-promotion. Tax-free ways elected officials can communicate with their constituents include email, articles in the local paper, posts on their websites, and regular town hall meetings.
5.  Have you ever noticed the signs at our local parks that list the names of our elected officials? After every election, a whole legion of them (in perfectly good condition) must be taken down and replaced with names of newly elected officials. Why not just affix a new nameplate to an existing sign? These signs last longer than the elected officials, and replacing them is unnecessary and wasteful.
Several years ago, I created NassauSuggestionBox.com for residents to recommend their own ideas about how all levels of government can do a better, more efficient job. To date, there are hundreds of suggestions. Please feel free to post your own.
If elected to NYS Senate District 7 this November, I will fight the
senseless waste of our hard earned tax dollars. We all deserve better.