By Nick Buglione
Speaking before a crowded room of some 200 members from the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce -- an organization representing more than 6,000 small businesses from 52 individual chambers -- Suozzi said without their support, his plan would not work.
"I need you guys to stay strong with me. If you like what I'm saying, I need you to tell your neighbors and your customers. If you don't like what I'm saying, I ask that you keep it to yourself," he said, as laughs echoed throughout the dining room of Westbury Manor, where the meeting was held on Thursday, June 27.
Before taking them through a step-by-step analysis of the four-year plan, which was first unveiled April 1 and has since been approved by the county Legislature and the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the county executive offered some startling figures demonstrating the magnitude of the $428-million projected deficit Nassau faces.
According to Suozzi, if the county wanted to solve its financial woes through an exclusive property-tax hike, they would have to raise them by 70 percent. A 40-percent cut to the workforce or a 50-percent increase in sales tax would also do the trick, he said.
"We're not going to do any of that," Suozzi quickly added. "This county has been run like a mom-and-pop candy store. It's a disgrace the way it's been run."
To get Nassau back on track, under his plan, Suozzi proposes a 12.5-percent workforce, about 1,200 of the 9,500 county workers, through attrition and retirement between now and September 2003.
The four-year plan also calls for implementing "smart government initiatives," include selling off any excess property, consolidating the number of buildings county agencies now occupy and investigating Medicaid claims.
"Our police headquarters has 11 separate locations. Our public works department has four locations for headquarters," he said. "We have half a million Medicaid claims a month, and nobody was investigating any of these claims for fraud." Fraudulent claims can cost the county hundreds of thousands of dollars, he added.
Although it has drawn significant criticism from the Police Benevolent Association, Suozzi also urged the business leaders to support his plan's call for $65 million in labor concessions -- in particular $40 million from police.
"The average [Nassau County] cop works three days a week and makes $101,000 a year in salary," he said. "There are officials that don't get into fights with the PBA. I can't give up on this fight; it's gotten out of hand. This is a big fight, and I'm really going to need help on this."
Points on debt restructuring, by reducing the money they borrow for capital projects from $160 million last year to about $72 million, and a 19.4-percent property tax increase on the county portion of the property tax bill, rounded out Suozzi's plan.
"If we stick to our guns, this plan, as I laid it out, will make Nassau County fiscally sound," Suozzi said.
Speaking in a concise and straight-forward manner, while interjecting kernels of humor, the Democrat Suozzi had surprisingly little trouble selling his plan to the predominately Republican crowd.
"The council of chambers is supportive of any plan that will bring the county back to a stable economy," said Richard Bivone, president of the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce and member of the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce. "We believe [Suozzi] is genuine, and he's trying to make a change. Change is not always an easy thing to accept, but change is needed."
East Meadow Chamber of Commerce President Warren Kalmenson offered a similar comment. "The plan makes a lot of sense. We need a plan that stays focused and works for the benefit of the county," he said. "Nothing he said turned me off. This could be a win for everybody."
Despite their support, Bivone reiterated, however, that the council is still opposed to any possible increase in sales tax.
Although no sales tax hike was included in the four-year plan, Suozzi did leave the door open for a quarter percent raise in 2004 if the county's slumping economy worsens. That would raise Nassau County's sales tax to 8.75 percent.
Bivone maintains such a move would hurt local commerce, as shoppers would be lured to neighboring counties where the sales taxes would be less.
