Suozzi to Make County Executive Run, Police Win Wage Freeze Lawsuit

Former Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi announced earlier this week that he would be making a run to reclaim his seat from Ed Mangano in this year's election.

Suozzi received immediate backing from the Democratic Party, whose chairman, Jay Jacobs, said he had been pushing the former county executive to return to politics for several months.

Jacobs said Wednesday that he would do what he could to "unite" the Democratic Party in order to win the November election.

Suozzi has already received endorsements from multiple Democrats from around Nassau including Legislative Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams, D-Hempstead, and Legis. Dave Denenberg, D-Merrick.

Denenberg was rumored to have been getting set for a county executive run of his own, but the legislator announced Thursday that his full support was behind Suozzi.

"If Suozzi is in, then I am out in deference to his hold on Democratic voters, fundraising prowess and my past political support for him," Denenberg said.

One Democrat who did not back Suozzi was Roslyn School Board member Adam Haber who announced his Democratic candidacy for county executive in January.

"Tom Suozzi said himself that voters were ready for change in 2009. It's easy to understand why," Haber said. "After years of failed policies and absentee leadership, voters want and deserve better."

Jacobs said he would be talking to Haber in the coming weeks.

"If there's a primary to be had, then there's a primary that will be waged, and we will do everything that we can to win that primary," Jacobs said.

Nassau Police Win Wage Freeze Lawsuit Against NIFA

Nassau County Police won a multi-million dollar lawsuit this week after a federal judge ruled that a wage freeze issued by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority (NIFA) was illegal.

The lawsuit -- filed by Nassau County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) President Jim Carver, Gary Learned, President of the Superior Officers Association of Nassau County, and Thomas R. Willdigg, President of the Nassau County Police Detectives' Association, Inc. -- claimed that NIFA did not have the power to issue a wage freeze after the expiration of an interim finance period that ended in 2008.

"We're obviously happy with the decision," Carver told Patch. "We believe that Judge Wexler got it right. ... I'm sure that NIFA is going to appeal to the county, but our position is that the language was so clear and the judge's decision was so strong that they shouldn't continue to fund the litigation using taxpayer dollars."

The wage freeze affected more than 2,400 workers, according to Carver.

Union leader Jerry Laricchitua, president of CSEA Local 830, issued a statement Friday that he expects a similar ruling on a lawsuit filed on his union's behalf.

"Our CSEA attorneys filed the same motion as the PBA did in federal district court with Judge Wexler," Laricchitua said. "We fully expect the same decision to come for the 6,000 Nassau County employees that we represent."

CSEA Nassau Local 830 is Nassau County’s largest public service union with more than 9,000 members. It is part of CSEA Long Island Region One with 55,000 members, and statewide CSEA led by President Danny Donohue with over 300,000 members.

Nassau Hosting Gun Buy-Back Program

A Gun buy-back program is being held Saturday, Feb. 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Grace Cathedral, located at 944 Jerusalem Ave. in Uniondale.

The Gun Buy-Back Program is strictly anonymous and individuals will be paid $100 cash for every turned in operable rifle, $200 cash for each turned in operable handgun and $400 cash for each turned in operable assault rifle. Not accepted are: licensed guns, BB Guns, air pistols, long guns and replicas. Guns transported by car must be transported in the trunk of the car and must be unloaded and put in a plastic/paper bag or in a shoe box.

Forfeiture funds from the Nassau County Police Department and the District Attorney’s Office are utilized to fund the Gun Buy Back Program.

2013 Mock Trial Tournament Begins

The Hon. Jeffrey A. Goodstein, along with Caryle Katz, Director of Community Relations of the NCBA, Marilyn K. Genoa, Esq., and the Hon. John Marks, former Supervising Judge of the Nassau County Family Court, began the 2013 Mock Trial Tournament by welcoming more than 500 students, teachers and parents to the Nassau County Supreme Court on behalf of the Hon. Thomas A. Adams, Administrative Judge of Nassau County.

The Nassau County Mock Trial Tournament is a joint initiative sponsored by the Nassau County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association and is hosted by the Nassau County Court System. It has grown to be the largest single-county tournament in New York State with 47 Nassau County high schools and approximately 500 high school students participating in the competition.

Coordinated by the Nassau County Bar Association, Nassau County justices, judges and attorneys preside over individual trials and provide students with an opportunity to further their understanding of both the content and processes of our legal system.

The winning team from Nassau County goes on to compete for the Long Island championship and the right to represent the region in the state championship competition.