(Long Island, NY) Today, Former Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman called on current Comptroller George Maragos to fully explain to the public the circumstances surrounding his approval of a $6.7 million payment to Looks Great Services Inc. for Hurricane Irene related work in 2011. According to an article published in Newsday, Maragos approved the payment on December 1st 2011, the same day the check was issued, four days before the contract was approved by the Legislative Rules Committee and seven days before being approved by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (“NIFA”). Under State law, as a result of the County’s perilous financial condition, NIFA must approve all county contracts. Under the County charter, contracts of this type must also be approved by the Legislative Rules Committee.
“Nassau’s contract procedures were put into place to prevent unauthorized payments and to protect taxpayer dollars,” said Weitzman. “For whatever reason, Maragos blatantly disregarded those rules and procedures. Maragos needs to explain why he approved payment to Looks Great Services before the contract was approved by NIFA, as is mandated by law. Nassau County taxpayers deserve answers.”
This revelation comes on top of reports that Maragos approved payments of $35 million to the same firm for Sandy related work without complete documentation. The District Attorney is now investigating the companies involved.
“Maragos has transformed an office that was a model of transparency into an impenetrable black box,” Weitzman continued. “He seems to have forgotten his first responsibility is to the County taxpayers and not to a private company getting rich off our hard earned dollars. This is another demonstration of just how unqualified he is for the post.”
About Howard Weitzman
In 2001, Howard Weitzman became the only CPA ever elected to the office of Nassau County Comptroller after a 30 year career as a healthcare financial executive. He was subsequently re-elected to a second term in 2005. During his eight years as Comptroller, Howard Weitzman played a central role in the financial rescue of Nassau County. Under Howard’s leadership, the office of Comptroller became a national model for transparency and accountability while at the same time developing a reputation for groundbreaking audits, independence and integrity. A graduate of Brooklyn Technical High School and Queens College, Howard is the former Mayor of Great Neck Estates, where he and his wife resided for 35 years and raised three children. He is currently a resident of North Hills.
