The Gombeen Leagcy

As a girl growing up in Levittown, I heard adults around me talking about how to be successful in Nassau County.

The key to success was to be a registered Republican. The test score you achieved on the Civil Service exam was meaningless, it was the party that got you the job. There were stories of workers having to kick back a portion of their salary and campaigning on company time. Entire families would vote Republican so the breadwinner could keep their job.

There are whispers that this still goes on. Which is a sad state of affairs.

Nassau County has its Board of Ethics which has among its charges(taken from the website), “ Providing free, confidential advice to County officers and employees regarding their ethical responsibilities under the Nassau County Code of Ethics and other applicable laws. And “Assisting County officers and employees in avoiding ethical missteps before they occur.” The website also cites whistle blower protection as offered under Section 75-b of the New York Civil Service Law, Section 740 of the New York Labor Law and Section 22-4.4 of the Nassau County Administrative Code. To put it simply all these laws prohibit retaliatory action against an employee who discloses improper activity.

So why has the corruption continued to go on? If a person is to take the brave step of reporting corruption, there must exist an atmosphere where corruption is wrong and not the natural order of business. There must be trust that the system will protect them.

The air has been thick with the smog on corruption in Nassau County. Big names like the former County Executive Ed Mangano being convicted of federal charges of taking gifts from Harendra Singh, and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto pleading guilty to felony charges of corrupt use of position or authority and a misdemeanor count of official misconduct. Corruption trickles down to the lesser knowns. Venditto campaign manager Richard Porcelli admitted to a misdemeanor conspiracy charge in the same scheme to illegally hire an Oyster Bay Parks Department employee at an inflated salary and later fire that took down his boss. The parade of corrupt officials gets longer by the day. The Irish have a word for politicians who look to make a quick profit at someone’s else expense—a gombeen man

Corruption has become the norm so much so that the Republicans feel it’s ok to steal from their own. Hempstead Town Deputy Building Commissioner John Novello has been indicated for stealing $59,000 from the Cedarhurst Republican Committee to pay for mortgage payments and trips to the Hamptons. It’s a new low when you steal from a pot that is meant to get your party candidate’s elected. At least he didn’t steal from the taxpayer. But then what can the voters expect from a party whose former leader Joseph Margiotta found nothing wrong with patronage and was quoted in Newsday as saying patronage “It’s a fact of life. There’s nothing wrong with it.”

It’s time to clear the air and elect candidates who understand that they are there to safeguard the public’s money not to pocket it. That there is a mandate to hire the best talent and not their relatives or friends. That corruption is not the normal way to do business. It’s time to end the Gombeen Legacy.