Hired Guns and Grassroots Volunteers

Come and spend a day in the Ed Mangano for County Executive office. There are no paid consultants. There are no paid workers. Everyone there is a volunteer. Everyone there believes in Ed. And no one there is making a cent off this election.

Everyone, from the campaign manager to the people answering the phone, loves Nassau County and wants to live here. Most have spent our lives in Nassau. Some were born here, others came when they were young or older. All are living here by choice. And all want to keep living in Nassau County.

That's why the people working for Ed are spending their days in the office. Everyone there has 'better' things to do, whether it's work at the day job that pays the bills, work on other campaigns, look for a job or sit at the beach. But go in any day and the office is hopping.

It's love for the county that's driving Ed's campaign. It's belief in Ed Mangano and his message of change that we can afford. It's the belief that Ed is Nassau County's last hope to remain solvent and a good place to live.

And the people in the office couldn't be more different than each other. There are people from Oyster Bay; others from Freeport. There are people from Woodmere and others from Hicksville, Hempstead and Levittown. There are African Americans, Irishmen, Italians, Jews and Hispanics toiling side by side for Ed. It's truly a homegrown campaign.

Many are Republicans. Others are Democrats. Some are independents. Some are registered conservatives. Others are Republicans who long ago abandoned the party of their heritage for political apathy. Many are union members and others are environmentalist members of the Sierra Club. But everyone is going all out for Ed not because their job depends on it, but because they believe in him. Many are ex Suozzi supporters who turned after seeing the County destroyed around them in the name of vanity and pride.

Take a look at Suozzi's campaign. He's hiring million dollar firms from the city. He's hauling in advisors from Washington with national experience. He's probably sitting in One West monitoring the news services wondering where the next vacancy is. Will it be in Washington, with another Senate seat or Cabinet office coming open? Or will it be in Albany, when Cuomo runs for governor? Will it be the job Ravitch had until last week? Or will it be a position of unrivaled power...on the bench?

His campaign is fueled by money raised by county employees on county time (check out the LI Press). His bankroll is aimed not at the county but at some amorphous higher office in Albany or Washington (check out last week's Times Union and last month's Capitol newspaper).

Sit down and think about. Do you want your county governed by people who don't care about your home and only care about the Next Big Move? Or do you want a county governed by people who want nothing more than to live in Nassau County and enjoy their lives with their friends and neighbors?

Think about it and put aside your biases and preexisting opinions. Read NIFA report and think about it. I think you'll come to the same decision I made 6 months ago.