For the Umpteenth Time Department: Despite Newsday's claim that Democrats have "taken the reigns" in Islip town government because of the recent election of Phil Nolan as supervisor, nothing is further from the truth. Among town board members, supervisors have few extra rights and responsibilities and that reduces any ability to effectively manage, administer, oversee or improve services. Except to the extent that local tradition or political organizations allow, supervisors technically can't even evaluate or rebuke town commissioners, who work for the town board. Originally, supervisors were never meant to be town administrators (the job title had to do with their former function as county legislators). And town councilmen don't have any formal powers of investigation or oversight outside of the town board meeting room. There's no clear separation of powers or function, but lots of inertia and turf wars on town board after town board. Town governments have the explicit right to reorganize themselves, with the consent of local voters, but don't. The system was kept in place in part to diffuse and thwart political opposition, and that works just fine for a lot of officials....
Forgotten Follow-Ups Department: Assemblyman Charles Lavine breezed through a primary and his first re-election this fall. In 2004, his defeat of longtime Member of Assembly David Sidikman was the centerpiece of County Executive Suozzi's "Fix Albany" campaign. Number of times Newsday wrote about Lavine's challenge of Sidikman in the six months prior to Primary Day, 2004: Twenty times. Number of times Newsday wrote about the challenge to Lavine (by Kevin Langberg) in the six months prior to Primary Day, 2006: One time. Newsday took more than a year and a half to followup and let readers know how Lavine was faring in Albany (he has gotten along very well with colleagues and with Speaker Sheldon Silver)....
New Conspiracy on the Block Department: Everything is so fluid and daily stories about bidders and possible bidders make it hard to follow the situation with Tribune Co., owners and apparently soon-to-be sellers of the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Cubs and other properties, including Newsday. The dissension and unhappiness among writers and some editors at Tribune newspapers (particularly at the LA Times and Newsday, which have lost a lot of staff through retirement, resignations and layoffs) is not going to be helped if the papers are purchased by large investment houses or other financiers who have no interest in journalism but only in maximized mega-profits. The apparent interest in the Carlyle Group as a potential owner of Newsday is setting off alarm bells in some circles. Best known for its interests in the aerospace and defense industries, Carlyle has been adding numerous communications properties to its holdings in recent years. Former President George H.W. Bush, former Secretary of State James Baker and other well-known people have worked at Carlyle, and the firm is frequently mentioned in many conspiracy theories about a "New World Order" and other nefarious plots....
Let the Sunshine In Department: Amendment to the state's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) is now in effect, requiring state and local governments to accept requests for government documents by e-mail, and to deliver the requested materials by e-mail, if possible. Since documents can be e-mailed, there will be no more need to charge 25 cents per page. It won't make requests get processed faster, but it will make access easier and cheaper. So far, I see no sign of this new law on any local government web site in Nassau County....
Can You Hear Me Now Department: Seven Long Island towns, including the Towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, now allow residents to pay taxes online, which can be a big help to constituents and to swamped tax receiver offices. Hempstead allows credit card payments online and over the phone and has contracted with one of the many online electronic payment companies to handle the payments safely and securely (there's a 2.5 percent service fee). Oyster Bay allows direct payments from credit cards and from personal checking accounts, too, which is even better. Step by step local governments are moving into the modern era.
