It’s almost humorous that Adam Haber’s disingenuous editorial in your “All Things Political” column neglects to mention the virtual cavalcade of Democrat politicians accused, arrested and convicted of outrageous abuses of the public trust.
Indeed, the very same week this article was printed, two former Democrat Nassau County Legislators, Roger Corbin and Patrick Williams, and Nevill Mullings, former head of the Town of North Hempstead Community Development Agency, reported for prison for their role in the fraud, bribery and abuse relating to the failed multimillion dollar New Cassel revitalization project.
It must have slipped Mr. Haber’s memory that former Legislator David Denenberg was convicted of falsifying records and ripping off his clients for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Or most recently Legislator Carrie Solages, accused of physically assaulting his girlfriend in front of her minor children over an argument about the whereabouts of his illegal drug stash.
In North Hempstead, the Democrat political powerbroker Gerard Terry was indicted on federal and state tax evasion charges.
Gee, Mr. Haber also forgot the rogues gallery of current and former prominent state Democrats including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assemblyman Dennis Gabrysczak, Assemblyman William Boyland, Assemblyman William Scarborough, Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, Assemblywoman Gabriela Rosa, Sen. Shirly Huntley, Sen. Malcom Smith, Senator Pedro Espada Jr., Assemblyman Nelson Castro, Assemblyman Vito Lopez, Sen. John Sampson, Assemblyman Robert Rodriguez, Assemblyman Micah Kellner, Assemblywoman Naoimi Rivera, Senator Carl Kruger, state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, Gov. David Paterson, Sen. Hiram Monserrate, Sen. Kevin Parker, Sen. Efrain Gonzales, Jr., Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin, and who can forget Gov. Eliot Spitzer.
No one party, Democrat or Republican, owns the corruption issue and bad politicians can be found on both sides of the aisle.
The difference is how the honest players in government respond.
In New York State government, aside from pension forfeiture for corrupt politicians, there has been virtually no attempt at reform.
In Nassau County, Republicans have passed numerous laws to enhance the oversight and transparency of county government including new disclosure requirements for lobbyists, vendors and consultants, detailed business histories for those that would do business with the county, political campaign disclosures for vendors, and the hiring of a procurement compliance director and commissioner of investigations to ensure all contract processes and procedures receive strict compliance.
Most recently, Republicans banned felons from running for office and amended the County Code of Ethics to include, among other things, a politically diverse Board of Ethics, mandated ethics training for county officers and employees, enhanced contractual disclosure, and penalties for anyone, within or outside of government, that attempts to induce any county officer or employee from violating their ethical obligations.
Before I close, I would like to remind Mr. Haber as to some unassailable facts about Nassau County’s improving finances.
Since assuming the majority in 2010, Nassau County Republicans have reduced the county’s structural financial gap by over 80 percent, we have improved our fund balance by 196 percent, and we have reduced the county debt over the previous Democrat administration, and we have managed to do that while holding the line on property taxes.
We even earned a bond rating upgrade to A+ stable from S&P along the way.
By contrast, in the decade Democrats controlled county government, Democrats increased taxes on average 4.23 percent a year, a rate of 10 times that of Republicans.
At the same time Democrats increased county spending over five times faster than Republicans, all the while adding hundreds of millions of dollars in Democrat debt to the county ledger.
However, twice failed Democrat candidate Adam Haber never lets facts get in the way of his politics.
Norma L. Gonsalves
Presiding Officer, Nassau County Legislature
