MANGANO - NEWSDAY NOTES

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/mangano-to-cut-700-nassau-county-jobs-1.3170066

Mangano to cut 700 Nassau County jobs
by CELESTE HADRICK / celeste.hadrick@newsday.com

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano on Wednesday announced that he will eliminate 700 more jobs, consolidate police precincts and require all employees to contribute 25 percent to their health insurance -- but will not raise taxes to close a $310 million budget gap next year.

Mangano was to announce the spending plan at a news conference in Mineola. He must submit his 2012 budget to the county Legislature by Thursday.

Some of Mangano's moves -- such as eliminating minimum manning provisions in police contracts -- would require union concessions and approval of the county Legislature.

Mangano said he is reducing the number of jobs by 1,010 positions, including some police. He said 300 already have been eliminated this year through layoffs and attrition, reducing the current workforce to 8,400. The new cuts would drop the full-time employees to 7,400. Twenty years ago, the county had 16,000 full-time employees.

Without those cuts, Mangano said, property taxes would have to increase by 39 percent. His recommendations adhere closely to an outside consultant's draft report sent to the county by a state board in control of Nassau's finances.

"Nassau's finances spun out of control over the past decade because of a broken assessment system and overly generous contractual obligations that are unaffordable in a sluggish economy," Mangano said. "My reforms will fix Nassau now."

Only appointed employees hired after Jan. 1, 2002 now contribute to their health insurance.

Mangano released only highlights of the budget Wednesday and did not make the full spending plan available.

Al fin, alguien dice lo lógico... En tiempos que se anuncian despidos y cortes a servicios sociales, como se justifica seguir festejando?

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/legis-to-mangano-cancel-car-show-parade-1.3177513

Legis. to Mangano: Cancel car show, parade
by CELESTE HADRICK / celeste.hadrick@newsday.com

Nassau Legis. Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) Friday called on County Executive Edward Mangano to cancel his antique car show and parade Sunday morning, branding it a "frivolous" expense at a time of financial crisis.

Abrahams said Mangano should show that he's trying to cut all unnecessary expenses after proposing to lay off 710 employees to help close a projected $310 million deficit. "We should be looking to control costs in all situations," Abrahams said. "We should set an example."

Abrahams and law enforcement sources say the parade will cost an estimated $75,000 in police overtime, with 78 officers assigned to the eight-mile route.

But Mangano aide Brian Nevin retorted in a statement that the event "does not cost residents a single dime as all costs, including labor, are funded by hotel/motel tax revenues collected from visitors who stay in local hotels. In fact, the car show generates sales tax revenue that helps hold the line on property taxes."

Mangano, who owns a 1969 gold Corvette convertible, started the "Nassau County Executive's Cruise to the Show Parade and Car Show" last year. This year's parade starts at 9 a.m. at Briarcliffe College inBethpage and heads west on Hempstead Turnpike to Eisenhower Park, where the car show takes place. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomowill be driving the Corvette in the parade.

This week, Mangano announced he will have to lay off employees, close museums, consolidate police precincts, and require givebacks from county unions to balance his proposed $2.63 billion budget.

Nevin accused Abrahams of "carrying the water" for the county's Police Benevolent Association. "We all know that Nassau's finances spun out of control, not due to a car show, but due to labor contracts that provide free health insurance and other costly perks," he said. Nassau's police unions are running commercials against Mangano's cuts.

But Abrahams said, "This has nothing to do with the PBA. This is strictly a budgetary issue." The hotel/motel sales tax revenues would be better spent to keep museums open, he said.

PBA president James Carver could not be reached. But Gary Learned, president of the Superior Officers Association, said, "If we had any chance of convincing our members to make further concessions, he almost negates it by wasting money on a combination car show/parade. In their mind, they think, 'If they can spend money on this type of event, how bad off is the county?' "