May 21, 2007

Schmitt Calls for Investigation into OTB

Minority leader Peter J. Schmitt is calling on the Legislature to hold hearings to investigate the firing of an OTB employee for refusing to work on political campaigns for Democrats while on the job. 

Reportedly, an employee of OTB was asked to do campaign work for Tom Suozzi’s gubernatorial campaign, Craig Johnson’s senate campaign, and others during working hours at OTB.  Upon refusal, the employee was fired.  The employee is now suing to get the job back.   

“If these allegations are true, then there is serious criminal conduct going on at OTB.  The taxpayers in Nassau County should not be paying salaries for people to work on the Democrats’ campaigns for state political positions,” said Legislator Schmitt.

News of the OTB firing comes on the tail of the recent publicity over the number of cars that the county leases for OTB workers.  “I think it’s time that we find out what is going on at OTB.  We need an investigation to determine why revenues have been decreasing, yet personal perks have been increasing.  OTB is under the direct control of the Nassau County Legislature, not the Nassau County Democratic Committee,” said Schmitt.   Since the Nassau County Legislature appoints the OTB board members, Schmitt has sent a letter to Government Services Committee Chairwoman Diane Yatauro calling upon her committee to hold a hearing “with the same dispatch as she attempted to go after the Republican County Clerk.”