Rockville Centre Letters to the Editor

Posted

Kaminsky should be investigated

To the Editor:

New York State Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky narrowly won a hard fought special election for the 9th Senate District seat on April 19. Kaminsky ran for the seat vacated by former Majority Leader Dean Skelos on the consistent theme that as a former federal prosecutor, his professional expertise would best serve taxpayers in rooting out Albany’s corruption.

Reports alleging charges of corruption against New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio have unfortunately become routine. Direct contributions to a state Senate candidate are limited to $11,000. Yet the allegations of corruption that engulf DeBlasio now reveal that the Communications Workers of America donated $109,600 to the Nassau Democratic Committee, seemingly to help Todd Kaminsky win the Long Island Senate seat just days before the election.

Thus, it is mind-boggling inexplicable how Kaminsky, the former federal prosecutor who vigorously campaigned on eliminating Albany’s well-known “pay to play” culture, has now been exposed as the recipient of DeBlasio’s lavish politically corrupt schemes?

I respectfully call upon U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to expand his investigation of DeBlasio’s corruption to also include Nassau County Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs and my New York State Senator-elect Todd Kaminsky, and demand the Kaminsky campaign immediately return the $109,600 in question.

Michael P. Mulhall

Rockville Centre

Says contracts need oversight

To the Editor:

I read with shock the op-ed piece by Nassau County Legislator Steve Rhoads that the Herald ran on April 28, “Call for contract watchdog is mostly about politics.”

Rhoads’s piece bothered me for several reasons. To begin, it was a purely political attack on Democratic lawmakers who demand that Nassau reform its personal-service contract law to require full disclosure and independent oversight of no-bid contracts. 

The past year saw numerous no-bid contracts rubber-stamped by the Republican majority or awarded without legislative approval. In addition, there were contracts that were supposedly intended to benefit veterans, but never did so, and dozens of contracts that appear to have been awarded to connected contractors in return for political favors or contributions. 

Rhoads ignores the scandals and rubber-stamps whatever the administration of County Executive Ed Mangano puts before him. At the same time, in his piece, he went off on former County Executive Tom Suozzi. Seriously?

We need reform because of Mangano and the current Republican majority in the Legislature. The “reforms” that the Republicans passed already existed, but were ignored –– an office of investigations, disclosure of the principals of winning contractors and legislative oversight. 

The Democratic minority refuses to allow corruption to continue and will hold back approval of capital borrowing for questionable contracts until the process is reformed. That makes sense. It’s about checks and balances.

Rhoads also accused Democrats of holding up capital spending for political purposes. Yet, the county’s capital plan and borrowing require a supermajority so that such spending is subject to heightened scrutiny. 

Holding back approval of capital spending to ensure that local projects are funded and the public contracting process is not abused are a very good thing.     

Claudia Borecky

President,Bellmore-Merrick Democratic Club