North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and the Republican majority are no doubt gloating over outmaneuvering Democrats on the Town Council to shut down any consideration of the Democrats’ tax cut proposal, then at the last minute, with a deadline looming, countering with a tax cut proposal the Democrats were forced to accept, so the Republicans could take credit, while still hoarding reserve funds.
The meeting at Town Hall on Wednesday, November 20, was a shameful display of covering up ineptitude with nastiness and scheming that has become hallmark of Republican governance at all levels, from federal down to the smallest local municipality. They are just so pleased with how they out-smart and hoodwink. Hardly the “transparency,” “responsiveness” and “work across the aisle” BS they typically campaign on when they want to unseat Democrats.
Consensus and compromise, along with good government practices are gone; only politics and power remain.
You would think that a budget that affects 238,000 residents would be clearly presented with the projections of revenue and expense defended by the finance professionals, rather than the haphazard way DeSena did an about-face to propose a modest tax cut (works out to about $67), paid for from pie-in-the-sky projections rather than the bloated fund reserves, hoarded so that the Supervisor could campaign for reelection on next year’s generous tax cut next year.
Troiano, who was only able to make discuss his proposal in answer to residents’ public comments (DeSena shut down the meeting before his agenda item was called) said his tax cut proposal was based on a vastly bloated operating fund reserve that had swelled from $26 million in 2023 to $38.4 million, amounting to 30%, when town policy is to keep 10% in reserve.
Moreover, when DeSena wanted an untenable double-digit tax cut (before her reelection), she called the $26 million in reserves “grossly overfunded”, and her Deputy Supervisor Joseph Scalero (the town’s highest-paid employee, at $193,800, who got a 15% increase this year and who she calls upon for any detail), said then that 20% reserve would be more than sufficient and not put the town in jeopardy.
Troiano’s $5 million tax cut, he said, would still leave 25% in reserve (worst case 22%, best case 34%, or a projected $25 million by the end of 2025) – still enough cash reserves to address any unforeseen problem. “So if we were grossly overfunded at $26 million, what is it at $38 million?”
Most interestingly, DeSena’s tax cut of $5.5 million (which apparently works out to $67 per property) would not be paid for out of the boated general fund reserves, but by phantom projections of income increases and expense reductions, and – incredibly – bonding $1.5 million for road repaving rather than spending the $1.5 million in cash left over from this year’s budget allocation that now is sitting in – you guessed it – the highway reserve fund.
Troiano’s proposal is based on a real surplus “that’s here now,” he said. In contrast, “the tax cut proposed today by the supervisor is made up of projections about next year that may not materialize” He cited revenue and savings projected from a new, 20-year operating agreement for Harbor Links golf course when the agreement with hasn’t even been written yet (yet forecasts just $350,000 income for the town the first year plus $350,000 in capital improvements, while the town board has no say in approving the contract terms, and now because it is fundamental to the budget, has the town over a barrel); projections of $1 million in revenue generated by a building department amnesty program that hasn’t been written; an early retirement incentive that is not yet created or discussed with the town’s union, with no idea how many town employees will take advantage of it.
Indeed, the biggest factor in DeSena’s tax cut proposal is the revenue and savings from the deal with Brooke Holdings/Management Group – selected from an RFP that was not disclosed to Democratic councilmembers, the company has been accused of embezzling $300,000 from the state’s Bethpage State Park facility.
“I didn’t come up with this at 4 in the morning,” DeSena said taking a defensive tone. “This has been studied by our finance team for days- the deadline is tonight to approve the tax cut which we all want to do. Our finance team has reviewed the numbers – find them reasonable, conservative, will protect taxpayers better than taking $5 million from reserves which will cause downgrade of credit rating and a tax increase next year – which Troiano wants…This $5 million is not just tax savings but supports changing to LED lights, an amnesty program from building department. This is carefully drafted series of savings.”
Actually, her statements show either ignorance or willful deception: she falsely asserted that it is “illegal” to fund repaving from the operating budget rather than bonding, and that the 30% overage in the reserve fund is necessary to preserve Moody’s Aaa credit rating and avoid 12-14% tax increase in 2026. “DeSena seems to have made up these accusations out of whole cloth,” charged Jody Kass, who heads the good government group, Concerned Citizens of NY-03 (CC-03).
What is so astonishing about this extraordinarily dysfunctional budget “process” – that began with legitimate concern over a fund balance 2-3x what is allowed or required – is that DeSena was forced to admit the town had to give over its stewardship of the historic Stepping Stones Lighthouse and return federal grant money for its restoration because of its negligence; that the town still doesn’t have a cat shelter which residents for years have been pleading for and had to return a grant; did not fund a public safety officer’s position; and misappropriated a $5000 donation specified for the Yes We Can community center while DeSena, instead, allocated $5000 for a new carpet for herself.
Well played? Or an unnecessary hijacking of good-government budget process.
What is equally disturbing to every one of the residents who attended the meeting to support Troiano’s proposals was the constant belittling, disrespect, insults, hostility and incivility shown Troiano and Mariann Dalimonte, when they attempted to ask reasonable, cogent questions or present their own proposal – directly attacked by Republicans Edward Scott, Dennis Walsh and David Adhami. The attacks were blatant in the press release sent out by the Republicans’ press office.
Effectively the Republicans are denying any representation by the districts represented by Troiano, Dalimonte and Christine Liu (who was not in attendance at the special meeting). It is the same modus operandi at the federal level, where Republicans have completely shut out Democratic representatives from policy making or legislating.
Even the press release that went out conveyed the impression that Supervisor DeSena was the champion of the tax cut, rather than Troiano, took pot shots at Democrats as irresponsible (pot calling kettle black).
In fact, DeSena inherited the strong Moody’s credit rating from the stewardship of Democratic Supervisors before her – May Newburger, Jon Kaiman, Judi Bosworth (just as Trump is inheriting the strongest economy in the world). You know what else is factored into the credit rating besides reserve funds? Good government practices such as transparency.
“The public loses when government decision-making takes place in the shadows,” Kass stated. Concerned Citizens is calling upon DeSena to “apologize to taxpayers, amend the Town’s budget to swap her shaky tax cut with the Democrats’ responsible tax cut and commit to changing the Town’s budgeting process to bring transparency to this critical government function.”
