I wish to respond to the issues raised by Karl Schweitzer, president of the Long Island Special Districts Association and chairman of the Hicksville Water District, [in the Oct. 23, 2009 edition of the Hicksville Illustrated News.]
Mr. Schweitzer attempts to accurately portray the position of Mr. Majid on the issue of consolidation but he could not be further from the truth. Though Mr. Majid is a fiscal conservative who favors consolidation where it is practical and has actual financial benefit to taxpayers, it is universally known that he opposes consolidating our fire districts and villages.
Taxpayers need relief, not misinformation about where the candidates stand. When Mr. Majid is elected to the Nassau County Legislature, it will be his duty to do all he can to help ease the enormous tax burden being unfairly imposed on homeowners by combining services that are redundant and cutting wasteful government spending.
As a former assistant district attorney with a masters degree in economics and finance, Mr. Majid has been a legal and financial adviser to numerous businesses during difficult economic times and his primary concern is to address the financial hardships that all taxpayers face today. Though I understand Mr. Schweitzer’s inherent concerns due to the paid positions he holds, the fact is that Mr. Majid has proposed listening to every proposal that is brought before him, no matter which political party suggests it.
One of the remedies Mr. Majid proposes is streamlining the back-office functions of our districts, especially school districts which comprise the bulk of our tax burden, and empowering them to make bulk purchases collectively to reduce the per-unit cost of regularly purchased items. He also proposes a review of every local taxing jurisdiction to determine if our towns and villages may manage key functions more efficiently and at less cost to taxpayers.
Finally, as I am sure Mr. Schweitzer is aware, our state government has left the ultimate decision on consolidation to its constituents, who have the power to vote by referendum on this issue if they desire. As has been stated many times it is the taxpayers’ money and they should decide what to do with it; free from the influence of special interest groups, political cronies or double-dipping politicians.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2009, the citizens of the 17th Legislative District will have the opportunity to select an independent-minded professional as their representative and free themselves from the chains of ineffective and oppressive local government. I am confident that they will speak very loudly with their votes.
Steve Poggio
