Gov-nuh Suozzi raising money on Nassau County Time?

[The Whistleblower]

The Whistleblower
Former County Worker Sues For Retaliation, Calls Suozzi's Nassau Corrupt And Dysfunctional
Christopher Twarowski 05/26/2005 3:27 am

For Nassau County employees, silence is golden. To speak out about corruption means your head on a chopping block.

When Georgina Morgenstern came to work on the Nassau County Planning Commission in August 2002, she was anything but naïve. The Port Washington resident had more than 20 years' experience at the nexus of urban planning and politics. She had toiled at New York City's Department of Environmental Protection and the city's planning department, working on dozens of multimillion-dollar projects across all five boroughs and New Jersey. She played a role in upgrading New York City's largest wastewater facility, the Newtown Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Brooklyn, and also worked on New York City's Third Water Tunnel.

Nothing could prepare the veteran planner, however, for the toxic combination of corruption and collusion she says she found in Nassau County under County Executive Thomas Suozzi.



Former Nassau County employee
Georgina Morgenstern, who alleges
she was fired for speaking up
about illegal activities bng committed
by the county's top officials
"What I've seen is the worst-run bureaucracy and political climate that I've ever worked under," Morgenstern tells the Press.

Morgenstern, who worked in economic development under former Deputy County Executive Peter Sylver, says she witnessed illegal acts on a daily basis: Federal funds earmarked to help the poor were used to finance campaign appearances; county workers raised campaign funds on the taxpayers' dime. State and federal environmental laws were routinely disregarded to save time. The administration failed to follow proper procedures and get competitive bids for county work.

These illegal activities were committed by a number of county officials at the direct behest of Deputy County Executive Anthony Cancellieri and Suozzi himself, she says. When she spoke up about the problems to her supervisors, she adds, she was harassed and then terminated.

Those explosive allegations are at the heart of a $35 million federal lawsuit that Morgenstern filed against the county in January 2004. What's more, according to the suit, her union is in bed with the administration—to the detriment of its members. Nassau Local 830 of the Civil Service Employees Association Inc. (CSEA) did not challenge or even investigate Morgenstern's dismissal, the suit maintains, even though she was entitled to the protections of a permanent civil servant.

Adding insult to injury, the administration tainted her in a PR campaign, with county officials telling the media that she was fired in a cleanup of county fraud.

Both County Executive Suozzi and Deputy County Executive Cancellieri declined to comment for this story. The county's position, according to a spokesperson, is that the suit has no merit.

[Suozzi supporter]

I read an editorial in a local paper that seemed to be mildly supportive of Suozzi running for Governor. When I read this information, I begin to think that Suozzi should drop out. He's hurting too many people.

[Where is Rice ?]

Again I ask, where is Rice? Is she a real DA, or Suozzi's puppet as alleged on these threads. I'm starting to believe the threads. If Rice does nothing, she is a complete disgrace! A pure hack. A pieced of trash with a title, who got the title, by selling us a false bill of goods.

[Mike / Point Lookout]

I supported Dennis Dillon for D.A., however, I think Nassau County could benefit from some fresh perspective that Kathleen Rice can bring.

In order for these blogs or threads to be effective in the honest exchange of dialogue thr exchange must be based on honest information and opinions based on some semblance of candid assessments, not insults.

There is no reason to insult D.A. Rice as "trash". That is ridiculous. By all accounts, Kathleen Rice is a smart, well educated, person who is capable of bng a strong District Attorney. The question we as citizens would pose is can she be independent in potentially investigating the Suozzi Administration? Is there a legitimate conflict of interest? Who would she turn the matter over to?
The Attorney General? A political conflict of interest.

This is a sensitive matter that requires careful thought less it descend into a political quagmire.

Does the Suozzi Administration deserved to be investigated for persistent allegations of employees raising political money on Nassau County time? I think so.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize.

There is no need for hurling insults; let's stay on the issue.

Its truly amazing that both this Morganstern issues and the huge NY Times expose have recved almost no investigation by ther Spitzer or Rice (Dillon).

[Just 1 Taxpayer]

The Shomwa case has been going on for sometime now, and what has Rice done regarding Suozzi and his involvement as alleged by Shomwa's attorney? NOTHING! If Rice doesn't go after this, then she deserves to be called whatever you would call someone, who misleads you or defrauds you. What would you call someone when they actually have no intention of doing the job you hire them to do. Stealing is stealing. But a politician who steals from taxpayers by hiring people for no-show jobs to enable them to do the politician's political dirty work, is worse than a common thief. And if Rice takes a paycheck, and doesn't prosecute such a politician for such conduct, then she is as much a thief as the politician, since she is taking money, without doing the job, just like Shomwa. The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

[Lotto Winner]

How much money will Georgi <organstern win from the Nassau County Taxpayers?

when Suozzi is bng driven in his county car and raising money on his cell phone, (as per the New York Magazine article) does he rmburse the county for the car expenses?

[Not above name calling]

I supported Dennis Dillon for D.A., however, I think Nassau County could benefit from some fresh perspective that Kathleen Rice can bring.

In order for these blogs or threads to be effective in the honest exchange of dialogue thr exchange must be based on honest information and opinions based on some semblance of candid assessments, not insults.

There is no reason to insult D.A. Rice as "trash". That is ridiculous. By all accounts, Kathleen Rice is a smart, well educated, person who is capable of bng a strong District Attorney. The question we as citizens would pose is can she be independent in potentially investigating the Suozzi Administration? Is there a legitimate conflict of interest? Who would she turn the matter over to?
The Attorney General? A political conflict of interest.

This is a sensitive matter that requires careful thought less it descend into a political quagmire.

Does the Suozzi Administration deserved to be investigated for persistent allegations of employees raising political money on Nassau County time? I think so.

Let's keep our eyes on the prize.

There is no need for hurling insults; let's stay on the issue.



If it smells like trash and looks like trash it's trash. Rice is trash. Nothing more, nothing less.