When my grandparents first moved their kids to Nassau County in the 1950s, it was with the promise of a bright future. They worked hard to ensure that they would be better off, as my parents in turn did for me and my siblings.
Now, as a third-generation Nassau County resident, I am married with a son on the way and I worry that future is no longer available for us here.
Ed Mangano has jeopardized our future by borrowing it away. His unchecked spending spree as county executive has left us over $2 billion in the hole, leaving the county with its highest debt in history.
When all the smoke settles, we and our children will be the ones left holding the bill.
Mangano is trying to pull the wool over our eyes and pretend we have a balanced budget, but thankfully NIFA Director George Marlin sees through these “fiscal shenanigans”.
On top of the financial problems, Nassau is no longer the place our parents envisioned.
Our roads are crumbling and our downtowns are empty. With the rampant debt and disrepair, who can blame our kids for wanting to leave and move out to Brooklyn?
Unfortunately for all of us, when our children leave, our tax base shrinks and our financial problems worsen.
Thankfully, there is a solution. Tom Suozzi has already proven capable of fixing the county’s disasters under Tom Gulotta, no doubt he can do it again.
While Mangano has had record debt levels and three bond downgrades, Tom Suozzi gave us eight balanced budgets and 13 bond upgrades.
While Mangano has neglected the downtowns that made our county so great in the first place, Suozzi has envisioned lively, bustling and walkable communities that bring back the Nassau we all know and love.
It is time for us to reclaim our families’ futures by getting rid of Mangano and bringing back Tom Suozzi as county executive.
Thomas J. Devaney
Carle Place
