(Editor's Note: This letter was originally sent to Senators Dean Skelos, Kemp Hannon and Assemblyman David McDonough and is being reprinted here at the author's request.)

Once again you are witnessing the incompetence and audacity of the Nassau County Assessor's Office and the chief assessor, in his conclusion that property in Nassau County has increased in value in the face of the facts and newspaper reports that indeed just the opposite has taken place.

Property values have plunged 20 percent in the last two years, with 12 percent in 2007 in Nassau County, not risen.

Yet he and his staff have the audacity to raise the property values once again via the County Assessor's notice of tentative assessed value for 2009/10. It was also raised for 2008/09. This is a commission of fraud.

I would expect a grand jury, state or federal, to be called to investigate this theft of taxpayers money to achieve still higher property taxes in the face of the media reports that values have decreased.

Arnold Johnson