The following excerpts from County Executive Thomas Suozzi's State of the County Address were delivered on Monday April 1, 2002. For the full text please go to the Nassau County Website www.co.nassau.ny.us:

On New Year's Day, at my inauguration, I stood before you and said we would solve the county's fiscal crisis. On that day I committed, as I do again tonight, that I would work harder and longer and better, until together, we make Nassau County the best county in the country,

I asked for you to join Team Nassau. I told our friends and foes alike... "Either get on board or get out of our way."

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority mandated that by, April 1, the county must submit a four-year plan to cure our fiscal woes. This plan is a road map to bring Nassau fiscal stability, managerial renovation and fundamental cultural change in our government...

For 90 days I have directed my team of dedicated experts. We searched for waste and found cost savings and looked again...and again...

And let me commit to you that if this plan is adopted in its entirety, we will completely solve the financial problem that has plagued this county for years, we will balance the budget, there will be no more job cuts, no more program attacks, no more doom and gloom and no more tax hikes for the rest of my term.

Our Four Year Recovery Plan for a Stronger Nassau County has five major elements to eliminate the $428 million annual deficit.

First, we will reduce the workforce by 1,200 people for a savings of $101 million per year. I now order the reduction of the workforce by 1,200 people from 9,500 employees to 8,300 - a 12.5 percent reduction...

The second element of the plan is to consolidate, streamline, modernize and implement smart government initiatives.

County government has two million square feet of property sprawled across Nassau. Consolidation will be the watchword of our new real estate management department and excess space must be sold. . .

We will save millions by canceling costly contracts with politically connected firms and we will do the work ourselves...

We will reward employees based upon their performance not their political connections...

The third element of this plan is labor concessions.

I am a strong supporter of the union movement. I am proud to have received the endorsement of labor in all my electoral contests...

We must all recognize, however, that Nassau County has consistently provided wage increases in excess of inflation and fringe benefits to our employees, especially police, well beyond what most taxpayers receive in the workplace...

The fourth element is the restructuring of the county's massive long-term debt.

This initiative will save the county $80 million per year...

We will restructure the $1 billion debt we owe as a result of tax rebate claims against the county's outdated and unfair tax assessment system...

The last part of the plan, and the most difficult will be the property tax increase. This increase of $182 for the median household or $226 dollars for the average household represents a 4 percent increase of your overall taxes...

We have budgeted as part of this plan and we are asking for state approval to exempt seniors earning less than $60,000 a year from this increase...

If this plan is approved by this county legislature, I make you this promise. We will fix it right the first time...

Someday they will say: This was the turning point, this was the moment when strong men and women turned away from greed and narrow-minded political advantage and brought about a new era of cooperation, of hard work, of service to our community, and of pride in our hometown of Nassau County.