Early in September the Republican members of the Nassau County Legislature presented their plan to reduce Nassau's multi-million dollar deficit, guidelines that the legislators wanted County Executive Thomas Gulotta to follow in preparing his fiscal year 2000 budget proposal. Estimating the structural deficit at $138 million, the Republican plan called for $40 million in spending cuts by trimming salaries of elected officials and department heads as well as operating costs.

Mr. Gulotta did not follow his fellow Republicans' guidelines in his budget, choosing instead to use a property tax increase and tobacco settlement money to close the deficit. His budget did cut the salaries of top-level administrative officials but it also raises the police tax by $61 for each homeowner in the police district.

The budget was symbolically "shredded" by the Republican legislators and sharply criticized by Nassau Comptroller Fred Parola.

Now the Nassau Democrats have presented their own plans for debt reduction. At a press conference called by Nassau Democratic Leader Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli, the party released its program to "Save Nassau County" A Democratic Plan for Change, Integrity and Fiscal Responsibility."

In presenting the plan, Mr. DiNapoli said that the Democratic legislators have been "troubled by the factional infighting among the Republicans." Stating that there is a "crisis in Nassau County," DiNapoli said that the Democrats looked for an alternative. "The Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature and the Democrats in Albany are looking to put Nassau's fiscal house in order," he said.

The ten-point plan calls for an end to Gulotta's 1 percent real estate tax, an end to wasteful patronage and the requirement of a line-by-line justification of all discretionary positions. It also calls for the requirement of competitive bidding for real property sales and an end to personal service contracts. Joining DiNapoli in calling for an end to unnecessary personal service contracts was Legislature Candidate Matthew Cuomo who said that there are 60 attorneys in the Nassau County Attorney's office and still outside firms are regularly called in to handle important cases.

Legislature Candidate Brian Muellers addressed the issue of sharing Nassau's sales tax with its 56 incorporated villages, another of the Democrats 10 points of change. David Denenberg, candidate for the legislature from the 19th district, addressed what is probably the most important of the Democrats' 110 points, the appointment of a fiscal oversight board "with teeth." The Democrats have consistently criticized the Republican plan for an oversight board that would be merely advisory.

Judy Jacobs, the minority leader of the Nassau County Legislature, was critical of the Republican members of the legislature for their attempts to distance themselves from Gulotta. "A problem like this does not happen overnight," she said. It's not one man's responsibility. They can run but they can't hide."

Republicans later criticized the Democrats' plan for a lack of specificity and expressed doubts that the budget could be balanced without the real estate transfer tax.