On Jan. 13, before an enthusiastic crowd of more than 500 people standing in the street in front of Glen Cove's City Hall and Courthouse Building, Tom Suozzi, Glen Cove's four-term mayor, finally made the county's longest running open secret official. He's now a candidate for the Democratic nomination for county executive in next November's election.

Citing example after example of what he says is, "overwhelming mismanagement that has nearly brought our county to financial ruin," Mayor Suozzi said he is ready for the county executive's seat and promised to, "work harder and to work longer until this county is better and stronger than ever."

Suozzi supporters on hand from all over the county applauded repeatedly throughout the announcement speech. "It's about time we had someone with enough ability to tackle Nassau's problems and fix them before it's too late," remarked one observer who was standing near a supporter carrying a sign reading, "Republicans For Suozzi." "Gulotta's been here far too long and now he's overstayed his welcome," said another.

Before addressing the crowd, several local officials spoke of Mayor Suozzi's accomplishments, including Sergeant Pat Hall, president of the Glen Cove PBA. The mayor is known to have irked Gary Dela Raba, president of the Nassau County PBA with suggestions on how the cost of policing Nassau County, which accounts for 25 percent of the county's $2.2 billion budget, could be reduced through civilianization of many jobs in the police department and other cost saving measures. But Sergeant Hall says that, "as long as Tom Suozzi has been mayor, he's been with us. He took us out of trailers, put us in a new police building and has given us everything we need to protect the citizens of Glen Cove. Our crime rate is half that of the county."

In his announcement speech, the mayor recited numerous examples of what he called, "fiscal mismanagement on a scale so large that it has nearly ruined our county." The examples included, "millions in uncollected parking fines, to well-paid, well-trained police officers assigned by their superiors not to prevent crime, but to work as car mechanics, desk clerks and plumbers."

Mayor Suozzi has, during his four-term tenure as the city's chief executive officer, been credited throughout the state for the steps he has taken to reinvigorate Glen Cove's downtown, revitalize its waterfront and effect substantial cosmetic changes in Glen Cove's appearance. He has received numerous awards and recognition, on both the state and federal levels, for his success in improving the environment, particularly the remediation of the former superfund site on Glen Cove's waterfront which is now the subject of a redevelopment program that anticipates the introduction of a hotel, restaurants, shops and other uses intended to attract visitors to the city.

Suozzi's announcement comes on the heels of Nassau Democratic Party Chairman, Thomas DiNapoli's declaration that he, too, wants the nomination to run against County Executive Gulotta in the next election or any other Republican contender should Gulotta fail to get his party's nomination.

The two announcements are expected to lead to a Democratic primary should Mayor Suozzi and Mr. DiNapoli fail to reach some accommodation as to which of them will be the party's standard-bearer in the upcoming election for county executive. In the past, Suozzi has said that while he likes and respects Mr. DiNapoli, the mayor believes he is better suited to fill the county executive seat because of his seven years of experience as the chief executive officer of Glen Cove, who's been charged with running the government on a day-to-day basis, compared to Mr. DiNapoli's background as a legislator in Albany which does not involve similar executive functions that can easily carry over to the county executive job.

Suozzi's speech to the packed street had a moment of levity when he declared that up until two years ago, he'd not previously thought about being the county executive. "No kid ever grows up saying to himself, 'When I grow up, I want to be the Nassau County Executive'. I certainly didn't."

"But," he went on, "after witnessing first-hand years of fiscal mismanagement [in the county]...I've come to realize that virtually everything I have done and accomplished in my professional life has been the training ground that has prepared me for this job. I am ready," he declared.

Upon hearing of Mr. Suozzi's announcement, Assemblyman DiNapoli said: "I welcome him into the campaign and look forward to a healthy and positive discussion of the issues facing Nassau County. As I have worked in the past I will continue to extend him every opportunity to join my ticket so that we will have the strongest possible Democratic team as we head into the upcoming campaign season."