Comptroller Phillips; Legis. Lafazan: What were they thinking?
Sometimes you just have to shake your head and wonder what elected officials were thinking.
On the same day last week, Republican Nassau Comptroller Elaine Phillips released a four-part 94-page audit and Democrat Nassau Legis. Joshua Lafazan emailed county Democrats asking for money. There was a twist to both.
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| Elaine Phillips |
First Phillips' big audit:
Was it about the proposed $4 billion Casino project in the Nassau HUB? The looming banking crisis after one of Nassau County's depository banks went belly-up?
Was it about Nassau's forever-financially struggling public hospital, the Nassau University Medical Center? Or about North Hempstead's building department, which was rocked by a 2007 scandal that resulted in four arrests.
No, it was a 94-page audit about Hempstead Town's Sanitary District 7 in Oceanside, which picks up garbage for 13,000 households and 950 businesses.
In comparison, Phillips in January issued a 30-page audit on Nassau's controversial reassessment, that covered 386,000 households and 37,000 commercial properties.
Hmmm; 94 pages on Oceanside sanitary district; 30 pages on reassessment.
Isn't there more pressing issues in Nassau County than a small garbage disposal district in the Town of Hempstead?
There had been controversy in the district last year after an anonymous complaint that a sanitation commissioner allegedly had posted racist, homophobic, misogynistic and generally obnoxious comments on Facebook. But that seemed resolved in June when a write-in candidate defeated him for election.
In her review, Phillips made the same general recommendations that auditors always make: improve policies and procedures. in this case for budgeting, procurement, hiring, staff management and fuel/vehicle use.
One of her findings was that the district "inappropriately spent $1,1061 in 2018 and $737 in 2019 for catered meals, food and beverages for employee holiday parties."
The district's commissioners thanked Phillips and said they would follow her recommendations.
Then there is Lafazan, who has spent this year holding numerous press conferences to slam Republican Congressman George Santos for lying about his background. After narrowly winning re-election to his county office in 2021, Lafazan immediately announced his campaign to win a Democratic primary for the 3rd District Congressional seat being vacated by then U.S. Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-Glen Cove.) Lafazan came in third in the primary. Santos subsequently won the general election.
While Lafazan insists he is running again for the county legislature this November, he filed as a 2024 candidate for Congress and is seldom seen attending county legislative events.
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| All Democratic Nassau legislators, except Lafazan, at an honors ceremony before last Monday's legislative meeting |
Last week, as Democratic foot soldiers were out gathering signatures on nominating petitions for Lafazan's legislative county election, Lafazan was dunning Democrats around the county for donations to his Congressional race.
Here is the email:
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You missed the point. Oceanside Sanitation has lots of scandals--a number of which didn't make the audit (like a blatant political payoff, 3 terminated employees who had to be brought back at the cost of over $2,000,000 in back pay and costs; a huge sexual harassment case that has already generated hundreds of thousands in settlements for minor plaintiffs; a recent 13% tax increase (following a 4% tax increase last year), and intra Board lawsuits, etc. It is a district without a supervisor for over 4 years--run by a Board member (where is the union and civil service?) What you missed in your review of the audit was the overspending of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year with a reckless drain of the reserve--no plan, just millions gone. This audit wasn't routine. This was an indictment of whole mismanagement. Maybe there are other areas that need auditing--but this one certainly did. (BTW--you wrote about this Board's blatant attempt to play with tax increases to help future elections last year).
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