DiNapoli denies GOP request for Schnirman audit
No surprise here.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has denied Nassau Republicans' request for an audit of County Comptroller Jack Schnirman's office after police recovered $710,000 in taxpayer money scammed from the county fiscal watchdog.
Not only is DiNapoli a Democrat like Schnirman, but DiNapoli endorsed Schnirman in 2017 when the former Long Beach City Manager ran for county comptroller -- an elected official responsible for watching county spending.
It took 16 months for DiNapoli to audit Long Beach and excessive separation payments made to Schnirman and other members of his management team even though DiNapoli's own office had said that most audits take six to nine months to complete.
And DiNapoli's office only got involved after angry Long Beach residents in April 2018 demanded an investigation. And his audit basically confirmed what the residents, the Long Beach Herald and Newsday already reported: that Schnirman's $108,000 in termination pay was nearly $53,000 more than he should have received under city code and his employment contract.
Schnirman returned the excessive amount after the DiNapoli's submitted a draft report last August.
So what did Legis. Howard Kopel, a Republican from Lawrence and chairman of the county legislature's Finance Committee, think would happen when he asked DiNapoli and the county's inspector general to "examine the internal security and cybersecurity controls of the county comptroller to ensure taxpayer dollars are protected."
Kopel's Jan 24 request came two days after a Finance Committee hearing into the phishing attack in which a scammer impersonated an existing county vendor and directed Schnirman's office to make payments to a new bank account. The bank alerted Schnirman of the scam and investigators recovered the $710,000.
Nassau Inspector General Jodi Franzese immediately agreed to investigate.
But Elliott Auerbach, a deputy state comptroller, in a letter dated Feb. 5, turned down Kopel.
Auerbach said he was confident that the inspector general "will be capable of performing an objective and independent review of the matter."
Auerbach wrote that cyber security incidents "are prevalent in local governments and school systems. Theft, fraud and inappropriate access to data are among the hazards associated with these threats."
And then he added, in a seeming non sequitur, "At this time, we will not be conducting a formal audit of the Comptroller's Office."
But he concluded that DiNapoli staff would be available to provide "guidance" on cyber security issues.
Thanks, Tom.
Kopel said in an emailed statement: “While I am disappointed that the State Comptroller has decided not to audit the office of Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman, I look forward to the results of the Inspector General’s report. I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure residents’ tax dollars are protected.”
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has denied Nassau Republicans' request for an audit of County Comptroller Jack Schnirman's office after police recovered $710,000 in taxpayer money scammed from the county fiscal watchdog.
Not only is DiNapoli a Democrat like Schnirman, but DiNapoli endorsed Schnirman in 2017 when the former Long Beach City Manager ran for county comptroller -- an elected official responsible for watching county spending.
It took 16 months for DiNapoli to audit Long Beach and excessive separation payments made to Schnirman and other members of his management team even though DiNapoli's own office had said that most audits take six to nine months to complete.
And DiNapoli's office only got involved after angry Long Beach residents in April 2018 demanded an investigation. And his audit basically confirmed what the residents, the Long Beach Herald and Newsday already reported: that Schnirman's $108,000 in termination pay was nearly $53,000 more than he should have received under city code and his employment contract.
Schnirman returned the excessive amount after the DiNapoli's submitted a draft report last August.
So what did Legis. Howard Kopel, a Republican from Lawrence and chairman of the county legislature's Finance Committee, think would happen when he asked DiNapoli and the county's inspector general to "examine the internal security and cybersecurity controls of the county comptroller to ensure taxpayer dollars are protected."
Kopel's Jan 24 request came two days after a Finance Committee hearing into the phishing attack in which a scammer impersonated an existing county vendor and directed Schnirman's office to make payments to a new bank account. The bank alerted Schnirman of the scam and investigators recovered the $710,000.
Nassau Inspector General Jodi Franzese immediately agreed to investigate.
But Elliott Auerbach, a deputy state comptroller, in a letter dated Feb. 5, turned down Kopel.
Auerbach said he was confident that the inspector general "will be capable of performing an objective and independent review of the matter."
Auerbach wrote that cyber security incidents "are prevalent in local governments and school systems. Theft, fraud and inappropriate access to data are among the hazards associated with these threats."
And then he added, in a seeming non sequitur, "At this time, we will not be conducting a formal audit of the Comptroller's Office."
But he concluded that DiNapoli staff would be available to provide "guidance" on cyber security issues.
Thanks, Tom.
Kopel said in an emailed statement: “While I am disappointed that the State Comptroller has decided not to audit the office of Nassau County Comptroller Jack Schnirman, I look forward to the results of the Inspector General’s report. I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure residents’ tax dollars are protected.”
Partisan politics as usual. Schnirman should be investigated. He has a long trail of incompetence. He destroyed Long Beach finances and it is unconscionable that he is allowed to get away with this. He should be forced out.
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