Letter: Nassau and Suffolk Need An Ombudsman

Anton Community Newspapers • 132 East 2nd Street • Mineola, NY 11501 • Phone: 516-747-8282 • FAX: 516-742-5867

Letter: Nassau and Suffolk Need An Ombudsman

Friday, 05 October 2012 00:00

Nassau and Suffolk Counties are in deep trouble. Political corruption is rampant. It’s all about money – campaign contributions, tax refunds and settlements that should never be.

You read about it every day – a police lab that has to be closed with 9,000 tests that have to be redone out of state, wrongful convictions brought about by a failure to disclose exculpatory evidence, illegal arrests and the improper taking of confessions. Prosecutors cover up and elected officials look the other way. Taxpayers are forced to pay the bills for these monumental screw-ups that should never have occurred if all elected officials were honest and properly trained. This nation desperately needs legislation that will stop the flow of slush money to political campaigns. We can never hope to have honest government if all of our elected officials are bought and paid for. Doing the right thing has been overrun by doing the politically correct thing. In the end, the taxpayers lose because our elected officials act in favor of those who have given them the most money. This is an inherently corrupt system at all levels of government. If you take money from special interests, you have to give back to them or not be re-elected.

Prosecutors and judges take campaign contributions too. And what does that tell you? Follow the bouncing ball and connect the dots – money equals corruption and campaign contributions equal more corruption. Hello out there, are you listening? Keep it going? Let the good ole boys and girls run the show or stand up and stop it. Where is your voice? I do not hear it.

These counties need an ombudsman or woman, not elected but appointed like the FBI director for 10-year terms with the power to investigate and prosecute. The ombudsman or woman could be nominated by anyone and even elected but would be banned from campaigning or receiving campaign contributions of any kind. This could be done on a bicounty basis or the nominations might come from the county legislatures without regard to politics and purely on the basis of merit. In fact, political activity would be a negative.

If corruption is making you sick and you realize that it is ruining our nation, then do something about it. Support the concept of an ombudsman or woman. Make it happen or continue to pay through the nose for the corruption that you support and engender. Dear voter: When are you going to learn how really bad it is out there? Political signs and posters should remind you that you are being insulted every time another appears or that you are dumber than dirt for having voted for someone on that basis. A political sign does not give you a respected record anymore than a credit card makes you wealthy. Let’s stop the madness.

Thomas F. Liotti
Westbury Village Justice
Garden City attorney

News

Lagnado Appointed Superintendent

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 00:00

After a year of filling the role as an interim, Mary Lagnado was appointed permanent superintendent of the Westbury Board of Education effective July 1, 2013.

Neighborhood Watch Keeps An Eye Out

Saturday, 15 June 2013 00:00

Everyone wants to know that their neighborhood is safe. But an omnipresent police force is impossible and extensive home security can be expensive. So the watchful eye of a neighbor can come in handy.

Now in its second year, the Westbury Neighborhood Watch is a small group of residents who stick to the phrase “see something, say something.” Director Jacquelyn McCullough says that the group, comprised mostly of seniors, keeps an eye out for suspicious behavior and looks out for their neighbors. She encourages them to report any odd behavior to her, so she can relay it to the appropriate authorities.

Sports

Athlete Of The Week

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

Deidree Golbourne has been running track and field all four years she has been at Westbury High School. Her passion for the sport comes from knowing that “you can put your all into it. It’s not a team sport where you have to depend on other people. You get out as much as you put into it.”

Golbourne is also seeded fourth in the state for discus throwing. She says that when she initially picked up discus her freshman year, she wasn’t a fan.

Work Hard, Play Hard

Thursday, 06 June 2013 00:00

The U.S. Tennis Association Eastern Long Island Region recently honored Westbury resident Susan Alvy at a celebratory dinner, presenting her with the Hy Zausner Lifetime Achievement Award for her longtime commitment to tennis. The Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury hosted the 23rd annual awards dinner, which honors tennis champions from Nassau and Suffolk County.