The success of the county’s iStop program helped choke off the supply of prescription pills on the street. However, those with addiction problems have turned to heroin or other street drugs, prompting a rise in their usage. The county must be prepared to combat this problem, which means it must support and enhance existing services.

Cooperation
The Legislature is well known for clashes between Democrats and Republicans. We too often see party-line votes on key issues. There was, however, bipartisan agreement on the Coliseum development plan, so there is some hope that the tide is turning.

While we don’t want the Legislature to be a rubber stamp for Mangano, we don’t want legislators battling him simply because they belong to another party, either. We want to see Mangano and legislators from both sides of the aisle work more closely together to reach compromises, rather than ramming through legislation that only creates anger.

We would also like to see more cooperative relations with the Nassau Interim Finance Authority, the state-appointed financial oversight board. It was put in place to look out for county taxpayers, but is not meant to be county leaders’ adversary. NIFA should be a valuable partner in helping solve the county’s financial woes moving forward. It’s there for that reason.