DA Candidates Talk Long Beach Payouts At Forum

At a candidates forum earlier this month, Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas squared off against her challenger, Long Beach attorney Frank McQuade. One of the topics that came up was the payouts Long Beach made to employees, which is currently under investigation by the district attorney's office.

The payouts the city made to former and current employees has been a big issue in the City by the Sea since they were revealed last year. The matter is being investigated by both Singas and New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. His office released a draft audit last month that claimed the city overpaid by more than $500,000. Earlier this year, a report by the New York State Financial Restructuring Board deemed the payouts a "fiscal threat" to the city.

At the forum, Singas defended her office's handling of the investigation, while her challenger accused her of slowing down the investigation to benefit Democrats.

"We have been investigating Long Beach for a long time, and I share peoples' frustration about what's going on there," Singas said. "But I have partnered with the people who can help us. I have partnered with the state comptroller. Tom Dinapoli and I and our prosecutors and the people who work in our offices have been working together to make sure that we uncover everything going on in Long Beach and make sure that Long Beach is made whole, and if there are crimes there, that people get held accountable."

McQuade, a Republican, said that he believed Singas, a Democrat, was slow-walking the investigation because of some of the people caught up in it, including former Long Beach City Manager Jack Schnirman, who is now the Nassau County Comptroller, and James LaCarrubba, the city's former public works director, who is now the chief of staff to Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen.

"DiNapoli has said the payments were irregular," McQuade said. "Schnirman admitted so much giving back the money. All we're waiting for is a district attorney that will prosecute with the same vigor and vim as she does the IDA and Cedarhurst Republican Club and other public corruption."

You can watch the exchange for yourself here.