Republican Steve Labriola announced on Thursday that he will run for Nassau County comptroller, pledging to “restore the taxpayer trust” and double the number of audits conducted by the comptroller’s office.
Labriola, of Massapequa Park, a former county chief deputy comptroller, kicked off his campaign with a press conference Thursday in Mineola.
“My goal is to restore the taxpayers’ trust, and show exactly where money is spent, by whom and for whom,” Labriola said. “I have many ideas to add controls without slowing down the contract process unnecessarily, with a clear goal to prevent shady contractors and vendors from doing business with the county.”
Labriola, a chief compliance officer in Nassau’s Office of Management and Budget, said he wants to create a “whistle-blower hotline” for employees and citizens to leave anonymous tips and an anti-fraud unit to prevent corruption.
The unit would create a vendor rating and experience database, as well as a contract review process to ensure taxpayers are protected, he said.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” he said. “My pledge to our residents is simple: Nobody will rip-off the taxpayers on my watch.”
In a news release, Labriola touted his record as chief deputy comptroller, saying he managed more than 80 employees in accounting, audit, claims and payroll departments while fighting corruption and fraud.
Before serving as chief deputy comptroller, Labriola served as the Oyster Bay town clerk from 2003 to 2009.
He also represented the 12th Assembly District from 1997 to 2003.
Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman, a Democrat, is also running for comptroller.
On Thursday, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli endorsed Schnirman, calling him a “trustful manager of tax dollars.”
“The residents of Nassau County deserve an independent county watchdog dedicated to safeguarding taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse,” DiNapoli said.
Democratic county executive candidate George Maragos said last month that a comptroller candidate will run on his ticket, but he has not announced who.
Former state Sen. Jack Martins is running as the Republican’s pick for county executive, and county Legislator Laura Curran is running as the Democrat’s pick.
