I was planning to vote against Ed Mangano until three of “his” ads in the Oct. 16-22 Plainview-Old Bethpage Herald almost convinced me to vote for him. What influenced me were the three different, eye-catching, quarter-page ads (on pages 12, 8A, and 54A) about exciting, upcoming events. The top line of all three ads read “Nassau County Executive ED MANGANO,” with his name made to stand out through boldface lettering, color, and/or capital letters. Two of the ads’ top lines said that “Ed Mangano PRESENTS” the event to us, while one said that “Ed Mangano INVITES” us to the event.
One is a “Haunted House & Family Fun Fair” at Eisenhower Park; one is an “1800 Long Island Halloween” at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration; and one is the “Fall Concert Series at Chelsea Mansion.” But, from top to bottom (literally) the ad is as much about Ed Mangano as the events themselves, because in the lower-left-hand corner of each ad his name is repeated in large, colorful, capital letters (which are much more prominent than the words “Nassau County”), along with his photo (in color). So that you might naively think that he himself is paying for these events out of his own pocket; instead of with tax dollars from you and me. These ads especially gave me warm, fuzzy feelings about Ed Mangano because Tom Suozzi, his opponent in the upcoming election, did not “present” any of his own events, or “invite” me to anything. But then I remembered that when Suozzi was County Executive for eight years himself, he ran the exact same kind of self-promoting ads, especially before elections. So I’m not going to vote for either guy, even if there is no decent alternative on the ballot.
Richard Siegelman
