The Republican minority legislators in Nassau County recently announced that they will not support County Executive Suozzi's attempt to create two new county departments and to re-establish the County Commissioner of Accounts under a different names. The new departments would be the Department of Information Technology and the Office of Emergency Management.

According to the Republican minority, the county cannot afford to create new bureaucracies because of the current financial situation in Nassau County. These newly formed departments would further sap the already depleted resources of the county, according to the minority.

The creation of the Office of Emergency Management proposes to take some of the authority over emergencies away from the Nassau County Police Department. The county executive would have the power to appoint a commissioner, deputies, officers and employees within the appropriations allotted. "The Nassau County Police Department has developed in depth planned responses to a variety of potential emergencies in this county," said Legislator Dennis Dunne. "There is no need to take any power away from them or duplicate services. Fiscally it makes absolutely no sense. More patronage is the last thing this county needs."

"The proposed Department of Information Technology would be created out of the current Department of Support Services. Establishment of this new department would lead to additional expenses through new staff, supplies and payroll, Dunne said. "There is no need for this new department which can function currently within the County system. We should be concerned with downsizing the county's government, not enlarging it."

County Executive Suozzi's plan also calls for the re-establishment and renaming of the Commissioner of Accounts as the Commissioner of Investigations. The position of Commissioner of Accounts was eliminated by the county legislature in 2001 with full support from both Republican and Democratic members of the county legislature. "Any responsibilities of the former Commissioner of Accounts can be fulfilled by the district attorney's office, the Nassau County Police Department and other law enforcement agencies," said Dunne.

"On the eve of County Executive Suozzi's budget, in which he has promised the largest property tax increase in Nassau County history, he is proposing to further increase the size of Nassau's government with these new positions without substantial budget cuts and savings. The county executive is looking to increase government by establishing three new commissioner patronage positions, three new deputy commissioners and it is wrong for Nassau County," said Dunne.