eleCtioN 2017
Jack Schnirman Democrat
Age: 39 Lives In: Long Beach Career: Long Beach City manager, Brookhaven Town chief deputy town supervisor Education: Bachelor’s degree in international relations, Tufts University; master’s degree in public policy, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government Family: Married, one child On the issues: Touting his experience and accomplishments as Long Beach city manager for six years and a four-point plan, Schnirman said that he seeks to end what he called the county’s “culture of corruption” to save taxpayer dollars and “make sure we invest in the services that we all care about.” Schnirman said his first
goal would be to increase transparency and modernize the county’s finances. He would create what he called a “scorecard” to track the progress of each county project. He said he would conduct audits and “ask tough questions” to be the independent watchdog he believes that is needed to help ensure that Nassau “operates effectively and spends taxpayer money effectively.” Reforming the contracting system is also on his agen-
da. Schnirman noted that in 2015, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas recommended reforms that in his words “fell on deaf ears.” He said he partner with the D.A. to initiate those reforms. More oversight is needed, he said, and the system needs to make payments on time to attract businesses to do work in the county. Schnirman said that the public deserves to receive a return from government, and he wants people’s input. His fourth point aims to attack abuse, fraud and waste by acting on reports from taxpayers. He said if people reported incidents, his office would act. He said an honest discussion about the county’s finances is needed to put the county on solid financial footing and out from under state financial control.
Steve Labriola Republican
Age: 55 Lives In: Massapequa Park Career: Nassau County chief compliance officer; county chief deputy comptroller, state assemblyman, Town of Oyster Bay clerk Education: Bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s degree in government and politics and public administration, both from St. John’s University Family: Married, two daughters On the issues: Labriola said he believes his experience as Nassau County’s chief compliance officer and as the chief deputy comptroller under current County Comptroller George Maragos qualify him for the position. He views the job as the taxpayer’s watchdog, who then serves as a check and
balance on the executive and legislative branches of county government. He wants to restore the taxpayer’s trust in the position by “showing exactly where their money is being spent, by whom and for whom.” Noting that three different credit rating agencies have given Nassau an A or A+ rating, Labriola said the county must keep moving in that positive direction, and to do that he said he would “closely monitor the assumptions, risks and liabilities of the adopted bud-
get and report my findings to the people, and the other branches of government.” He also wants to create a whistle-blower hotline for the confidential reporting of waste, fraud and abuse, and wants to establish an antifraud unit to investigate those reports. Labriola would also aim to create what he called a “vendor-experience database” to monitor county vendors to prevent tax dollars from going towards what he called “shady businesses.” Labriola said that he and Republican County Executive candidate Jack Martins have pledged to liberate the county from Nassau Interim Finance Authority control within two years. He said he believes that he and Martins have the experience to work with the state to accomplish that goal and fix the county’s assessment system.
eLeCtion 2017
County LegisLative DistriCt 4 Denise Ford
INCUMBENT — Republican Age: 66 Lives in: Long Beach Career: Nassau County legislator; 25-year telephone company employee Education: St. Michael’s High School, Brooklyn Family: Widowed, three children On the issues: Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford was first elected to the County Legislature in 2003. She serves on five committees and chairs the Economic & Community Development & Labor and is the vice chairwoman of the Government Services & Operations. Ford said that in the county’s battle against the opioid epidemic, all jurisdictions, from federal to the county police, must continue
to work together. She said she supports the creation of an inpatient rehabilitation clinic at Nassau University Medical Center, and favors a proposal by Republican County Executive candidate Jack Martins that victims of an opioid overdose be held for observation for 72 hours. Hurricane Sandy-related projects are beginning to move from the planning board to the starting line, and Ford said she would follow the timeline to make sure all deadline targets are met and work to try to get
the more critical projects expedited. She said she worked to incorporate previous local projects with the larger Sandy projects. Ford said she supports dredging and restoring the marshes to help reduce future storm damage. A concerted effort by all levels of government to help ensure work is done and protect homeowners, business owners and contractors is also needed, she said. Ford said she is not opposed to having an inspector general to review county contracts, but is wary of having a person with a contract who might or might not do the job. She said she believes the current commissioner of investigations, the additional review steps that were added and the district attorney are adequate.
Jane Smith Fisher CHALLENGER — Democrat
Age: 58 Live in: Long Beach Career: Nassau County Civil Service Commission Education: Bachelor’s degree in management and organizational behavior, New York University; master’s degree in elementary education, Adelphi University. Family: One child On the issues: Fisher’s background includes being a publicschool teacher, an owner of three small businesses and currently a county employee. She said that though the job of county legislator is considered part-time, it would be her only job. The opioid epidemic hit home for Fisher. She noted that one of the three young people from Oceanside — a community where she raised
her son — died from a drug overdose last year on the day after he was released from a halfway house. She said that more affordable, comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehab options are needed. Fisher said she would visit sober homes, learn what is happening and look for ways for the government to help. Fisher said she believes she understands the financial struggles of her potential constituents, including how important it is to have a car, especially since certain
county bus routes were cut. She addressed the county’s financial woes by saying that in her current job she has literally rung up $1 million in salary in one day for new hires and asked the question, “What is going on here?” Having an inspector general would help because, she said, the Republicans in the County Legislature are in “lockstep” with the county executive, and no one is truly reviewing the contracts, Fisher said. She also said that a forensic study of where the money is going and increased efficiencies similar to what county comptroller candidate Jack Schnirman is espousing are needed. Fisher believes that her background qualifies her to be a county legislator, and she said she is a problemsolver and “absolutely knows how to get things done.”
The district encompasses Atlantic Beach, East Atlantic Beach, Island Park, Lido Beach, Long Beach, and Point Lookout, and parts of Cedarhurst, East Rockaway, Lawrence, Oceanside and Woodmere.
LONG BEACH HERALD — November 2, 2017
Nassau CouNty Comptroller
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