By Joseph Kellard
"I'm the outsider candidate here in Long Beach and in most towns in Nassau County," Suozzi, the mayor of Glen Cove, said in his opening statement. "But all I have done in my life has prepared me to be Nassau County Executive."
Suozzi's talk centered on his record as Glen Cove's mayor, an office he has been elected to a record four times, first in 1994. He stressed three areas where he believes his most important accomplishments as mayor lie: finance, downtown and waterfront revitalization. Citing a record in which he turned multi-million dollar budget deficits into surpluses and passed six straight city budgets without a tax increase, Suozzi said that a key to improving his city's financial woes was instituting an employment evaluation system, in which every city employee is evaluated yearly by his or her supervisor, and a merit raise system, which gives pay increased to the city's most productive employees.
"We reduced our employment by 10 percent and increased our efficiency," he said while giving an example of how this was accomplished in his city's sanitation department.
If elected, Suozzi said, among his first actions will be to set up an employment evaluation system in Nassau County, claiming that "right now there and no organizational charts," as well as perform audits in each department.
Regarding downtown revitalization, Suozzi said his city earned first place in the New York Conference of Mayors' 2000 "Main Street" competition, and that it is presented as a state-wide model. He also said the reduction in pollution on the 10-mile stretch of his city's waterfront has also been exemplary.
Suozzi's talk also emphasized his charge of Republican mismanagement as the cause of Nassau County's problems.
"I think what voters mainly argue over is how much money is spent and if it is spent efficiently, and that has to do with management," he said. "Tom Gulotta is just the face of the problem. The main problems in this county have been mismanagement and its cause: the culture of machine politics. We have to stop managing by crisis in Nassau, as we are doing every day now."
Asked about the condition of the county's parks, which the questioner believes are mostly in sub-par condition, Suozzi said, "Again, it's mismanagement. You need to do regular maintenance to these parks; you don't have to build new things to improve them. Things like cutting the grass and painting, in most cases, is all that needs to be done. It's that simple. I see the parks as a symbol of the whole county."
His administration, Suozzi said, will focus on improving "affordable" housing, preserving open spaces, reassessment and correcting the county's traffic problems, as he argued against proposals to widen the Southern State Parkway and Long Island Expressway, but favored, as one solution, the improvement of transit to and from New York City.
He only briefly mentioned his opponent, DiNapoli, saying he is a good legislator, "But the job of Nassau County Executive is about administrating, not passing laws. That's why my record as a CPA, an auditor and mayor of Glen Cove has prepared me for this job."
Regarding Long Beach Democratic Party Leader Eugene Cammarato's endorsement of DiNapoli, Suozzi said, "In the [1993] Democratic primary between Richard Kessel and Ben Zwirn, Kessel received the Democratic endorsement of this city, but he was defeated by Zwirn."
Asked if he were defeated by DiNapoli would he run under another ticket, Suozzi said, "No, if I lose I will support the Democratic candidate 100 percent. We need to stop the Republican machine."
He characterizes his campaign as grassroots. "I need a very strong, ground campaign," he said. "I have to work very hard. But I know I will work harder than anyone you've ever met who has sought this nomination."
Suozzi called on those who will vote for him to tell everyone they know to do the same. "People don't really come out in September to vote. They come out in November. So I need you to get people to vote for me in September."
After Suozzi's talk, Long Beach resident Anita Myles said, "I'm a Republican who voted for Gulotta, but I'm going to vote for Suozzi because I like his energy and his ideas for changing the county, like recycling old properties for new developments. I also like his ideas for waterfront projects, particularly since Long Beach needs new development along its bay area. Based on what he did in Glen Cove, it sounds like he can get the job done and will not be controlled by a political machine."
"I like that he is an organizational person and has had experience running another municipality," said another Long Beacher, Sybil Lewis.
"My concern is that all the candidates have a focus on issues like seniors, health care and court reform," said Samuel Levine, a former Nassau County judge. "Suozzi covered all the bases very well and his past record is impressive. But I'm undecided at this point. He and DiNapoli are both very highly qualified and I believe one of them will be the next county executive."
