Nassau Comptroller Jack Schnirman won't run again in 2021

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Jack Schnirman, the beleaguered former Long Beach city manager who was elected Nassau County comptroller in 2017, has decided against running for office again this year, he announced Thursday afternoon.

He did not specify a reason in a letter to supporters. "It is with sincere gratitude for this incredible opportunity to serve and excited anticipation for what the future holds that I have decided not to run for reelection this year," he said.

Since the Herald uncovered overpayments in 2018 that he and other Long Beach employees had received upon their departure from the City of Long Beach, Schnirman has been hounded by calls for his resignation from Republicans and sharp criticism by members of his own party, including the Nassau County district attorney, Madeline Singas, who investigated possible wrongdoing in the case.

Schnirman returned roughly half of his separation payment — more than $50,000.

Though there was not enough evidence to charge Schnirman criminally, Singas did rebuke Schnirman's conduct

 “The taxpayers of Long Beach deserved better,” the district attorney said.

When he was Long Beach city manager from 2012 to 2018, Schnirman allowed millions of dollars in “improper payments” for accrued sick and vacation days to city employees when they left their jobs, either to retire or move on, according to a two-year investigation by Singas's office, which concluded last September.

There was also an investigation by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office, which reached similar findings in 2019.

Last summer, the City of Long Beach filed a $2.4 million lawsuit against Schnirman and Rob Agostisi, the city's former acting city manager and counsel, alleging fraud, conspiracy and breach of duty.

In his letter Thursday, Schnirman also said, "In looking ahead toward November, I had to make a choice, and ultimately it was a clear one: I will stay focused on the work that I enjoy and that our county needs to meet this moment and leave the politics to others. Our office will continue to be a source of facts, calling balls and strikes, with no distractions of the politics sure to heat up as the year rolls on."

He continued, "I set out four key priorities as Nassau County comptroller: opening up and modernizing county government by launching the Open Nassau Transparency Portal, conducting smart audits so residents get the bang for their buck they deserve, reforming the county contracting system and getting the public involved to inform our work. This week we released our three-year progress update, and I’m proud that since 2018, we have identified or recovered more than $149.4 million for Nassau County taxpayers. There is more for us to do this year. The work is never done."

State Sen. Anna Kaplan, a Democrat from Great Neck, stood by Schnirman, saying, "Comptroller Schnirman has brought professionalism back to the office and gotten down to the brass tacks of what a comptroller should be doing, performing important audits and helping our county government to be more open, transparent and efficient through initiatives like the Open Nassau Portal. I thank Jack for his work on behalf of the residents of Nassau County, and wish him well in his next chapter."