3-11-08

This is the 7th occasion I have given the Republican response to County Executive Suozzi’s State of the County Address. Once again, I listened, as you have, to ambitious plans, conceptual ideas, and bold new initiatives from Tom Suozzi.

I warned last year in my response to County Executive Suozzi’s State of the County Address that Nassau County was accumulating huge deficits largely due to increased County spending. That’s not the County’s money, its your money, which was being spent so quickly, mountains of IOU’s were piling up.

We believe, as Republicans, that spending has spiraled out of control in this County and like your household we cannot spend more than we take in and, yet, we find that the County Executive plans to raise taxes at least 3.9% to cover the deficit as projected by the County Comptroller.

As I speak to you tonight, our County Executive is quietly seeking State approval to borrow over 1 BILLION, 900 MILLION DOLLARS in order to refinance county debt. Every fiscal oversight agency has warned of the danger in doing this risky fiscal maneuver. It’s too dangerous, and the extra costs associated are too steep to make it a fiscally prudent transaction.

Mr. Suozzi is attempting to refinance the county debt in a most unfavorable lending market and pledging to pay it off with the hard earned tax monies of county residents and businesses. We, Republicans, believe this is a costly ill-conceived plan and should be deposited to the scrap-heap of bad ideas.

For too long, I have given the Republican response to the County Executive Suozzi’s State of the County Address and warned of fiscal calamity looming ahead. Now, we see a borrowing plan which will endanger our future and the futures of our youngest residents.

Can you imagine an average homeowner applying for a loan from a bank for all his family debt, refinancing it in one lump sum and promising to pay it all back in a short time? This County is in fiscal trouble, and County Executive Suozzi wants to borrow 1 Billion 900 Million dollars pledging that you and I will pay it back. You and I know that taxes will have to be raised to pay it all back.

Since, Tom Suozzi, has repeatedly stated that he is not running for re-election, and I take him at his word, he would leave the County in worst condition than when he came into office. If this massive borrowing is allowed to take place, Mr. Suozzi will have done to this County what Tom Gulotta did to it, but in only half the time! I think we all fear a return to those days.

As Republicans, we would prefer to focus on some of the problems that need to be addressed now, to prevent the suburbia we know today from being lost.

Every day, like you, I frequent local merchants in Nassau County. I am constantly being stopped and asked as to what can be done about taxes and about the continuing reassessment of our residential properties. Republican Legislators have constantly called for the reassessment of Nassau County to be slowed. It is not necessary to reassess everyone’s property every year. The results are too onerous and the county is forcing the most vulnerable of our citizens; our senior citizens and young families out of their homes. Again I say, this problem has to be addressed now and from the County Executive we hear continued silence.

As you heard Mr. Suozzi has completed rebuilding the Old County Court House to the tune of over 60 million dollars. If you remember, the County Executive stated in other State of the County Addresses that the sale of excess county properties would have paid for this renovation. Unfortunately not nearly enough has been sold in order to pay for this project, so it must come from your taxes.

Regarding the consolidation of services, before the County Executive starts attempting to consolidate special districts in other municipalities, why hasn’t he consolidated parks, roads, overlapping services, or intergovernmental services? Where are the highway consolidations with over lapping road maintenance and snow plowing by local municipalities he proposed? Where are the parks, beaches, and recreational program consolidations we eagerly awaited? The answer is NO WHERE. We heard the County Executive three years ago announce a plan to consolidate schools and school services. To date, NO ANSWERS, NO RESULTS from our County Executive just more lofty proposals like tonight.

At the same time, Tom Suozzi is Governor Spitizer’s hand-picked head of a Commission on Proposed Tax Relief for residents of New York State. I ask you, have you felt tax relief in Nassau County? because I haven’t. Now Mr. Suozzi and Mr. Spitzer think they can reduce the tax burden on New York State residents. My experience tells me, you can not solve future problems if you are ill-equipped in solving problems in your own backyard first.

The County Executive needs to reset his priorities to resolving every day problems of you, our taxpayers, before his term expires next year. He needs to be creative and find ways to reduce spending, and reduce property taxes. He needs to talk with other levels of government, not undertake costly studies and chair State Commissions that go nowhere. He needs to transfer services which are overlapping. He needs to find new and fresh ideas for reducing the level of crime and gang violence in our County, thereby insuring the safety of our citizens and children. He needs to stop declaring that all answers to our every day problems can only be solved by the active participation of the state and federal governments and pay more attention to the problems that you and I encounter each day. Traffic, roads that are in deteriorating conditions, our county infrastructure, and most of all, the threatening deficit facing a health care system this county offers its residents.

If your youngster’s bicycle is broken, you don’t need to go out and buy a new one, you need to roll up your sleeves, get the wrenches and tools and put some time into a project that every family has dealt with at one time or another. Just as in a County, that is fiscally broken, Mr. Suozzi should not go out and borrow a super-home equity loan to pay off his debt. He needs to roll-up his sleeves, take out his calculator and start cutting some of the 800 Million Dollars of new spending he has initiated over the past 6 years.

If Mr. Suozzi can be inspired by the every day challenges you and I encounter daily, if he can downsize and scale back his ambitions and recommit himself to improving the quality of life, for the remainder of his term in office, for all residents, he will have our Republican support.

2008 REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE’S STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS