County’s Financial Condition Deteriorated While Maragos Was Asleep at the Switch
(Long Island, NY) On the one year anniversary of George Maragos’s second failed bid for the Republican nomination for United States Senate, former Comptroller Howard Weitzman called on Maragos to release his public calendar during his 2012 campaign for Senate.
The release of the Comptroller’s calendar would demonstrate how much time he spent in Nassau County engaged in the daily affairs as the county’s financial watchdog and how much time he spent campaigning in other parts of the state. During the course of the campaign for U.S. Senate, Nassau County’s short-term bond rating was lowered and the long-term debt outlook declined from ‘stable’ to ‘negative.’
“Less than two years into his first term in office, George Maragos chose to launch a second campaign for U.S. Senate that left Nassau County without a full-time Comptroller,” said Weitzman. “Meanwhile, the county’s bond status was downgraded and the rating outlook declined from ‘stable’ to ‘negative.’ Maragos fell asleep at the switch while criss-crossing the state to advance his own career.”
An anniversary card and cake was delivered to Comptroller Maragos to mark the occasion.
Maragos initially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate against Senator Charles Schumer in 2010, just months after taking office in Nassau County. Maragos abruptly dropped out after failing to secure local support and the next year announced his candidacy for the State’s other U.S. Senate seat held by Kirsten Gillibrand. Maragos campaigned for the Senate in 2011 and 2012 while Nassau County’s financial condition declined.
The Republican Primary for U.S. Senate was held last year on June 26, 2012. George Maragos finished a distant third to Wendy Long, who went on to lose to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
About Howard Weitzman, CPA
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.
