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Mostly Cloudy L.B. City Manager Jack Schnirman joins the ‘fight for reform’
Gets the nod for Nassau County comptroller in 2017
City Manager Jack Schnirman announced in September that he was mulling a run for Nassau County executive, but on Sunday he said that he decided to “join the fight for reform” as a candidate for comptroller.
“After spending the past several months exploring how best we can move Nassau forward by listening to residents from all across the county, it is clear that we are demanding reform,” Schnirman said at a news conference on Monday at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, pledging to “open up” the county’s books, ask tough questions and battle corruption. “I’ve been listening and thinking about how best I can help. I’ve faced down corruption, fiscal crisis and natural disaster, and I look forward to being the independent reformer that our county deserves.”
A number of supporters from Long Beach, including members of the City Council, showed their support for Schnirman and Laura Curran, who is running for county executive, at Monday’s event.
“I know the tremendous job that they could do for Nassau County, and I think it’s a win for the entire county,” Councilman Scott Mandel said. “I’m very proud that Jack’s enthusiasm and experience is recognized and now will be potentially appreciated on a wider scale throughout the county.”
Schnirman, who has a degree in international relations from Tufts University and a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, was appointed Long Beach’s city manager in December 2011, after the Democrats wrested control of City Hall from a Republican-led coalition. In his first year alone, he grappled with a staggering fiscal crisis that left the city on the brink of bankruptcy, and Hurricane Sandy.
“Jack turned Long Beach around and restored the finances, while rebuilding and bringing the city back from Superstorm Sandy,” Curran told the crowd on Monday. “It was not an easy task. Jack will make a terrific county comptroller.”
Schnirman had formed an exploratory committee called Nassau Forward as he considered running for county executive, and began a fundraising campaign as other candidates, including Curran, County Comptroller George Maragos and State Assemblyman Charles Levine announced that they were running for the seat.
According to the state Board of Elections, as of January, Schnirman had raised $185,135 while Curran had raised $251,637. (She transferred $37,539 of that total from her legislative campaign account.)
Political insiders told the Herald that county Democratic Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs had been expected to offer Schnirman the comptroller spot if he wasn’t tapped for county executive.
“As city manager in Long Beach, we’ve been doing the hard work of turning our finances around, and that’s why it’s so frustrating to see the county not making tough choices as well,” Schnirman said. “While we’ve worked day in and day out to rebuild the city, it is shocking to see that the county government is involved in corruption. And that’s why I’m fired up to be part of a fight for reform throughout the county.”
Maragos defended his record, citing his audits of county contracts, his criticism of police overtime and oversight of the Nassau County Correctional Facility, and criticized Schnirman on Twitter.
“Someone should tell clueless Jack Schnirman that the county books are already online,” Maragos said.
Schnirman said that he would serve the remainder of his two-year contract with the city, which the City Council voted to renew last March, through the end of this year.
He previously served as Brookhaven’s deputy chief supervisor from 2006 to 2008, managing the town’s day-to-day operations under Supervisor Brian Foley in the state’s largest township.
Last year marked Schnirman’s third contract with the city, which makes him the longest-tenured city manager in Long Beach since Ed Eaton, who served for 25 years. The latest contract agreement included Schnirman’s current annual salary of $173,871 and up to six months severance if he is terminated early.
Though he has had his share of critics as city manager, many have cited his leadership out of a financial crisis — the city has since received eight consecutive positive credit ratings — and Long Beach’s recovery after Sandy.
City Council President Len Torres that it was too early to speculate on who might be considered for the city manager position if Schnirman were elected in November.
“It would leave a void,” Torres said. “We’re concerned about that, because we would have to start all over again. We don’t know where we’re going to find a person with his high standards.”
