Letter to Editor: Dems Mislead Public About Ford's Record

To the Editor:

I am disappointed with the disingenuous ads paid for by the New York State Democratic Committee accusing Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) of lining "the pockets of the Republican leader with a 47% pay raise." 

The Legislature voted to raise the salary of the full-time presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislator to $99,500. He oversees a $2.6 billion operating budget and earns $66,000 a year. While marketed as a 47% pay raise, in actuality it equated to a 2.65% increase for each of the 14 years in which the presiding officer had failed to ever receive a pay raise. 

The ad fails to acknowledge that Nassau County Democrats approved generous pay raises for executive positions in Nassau County in 2007 with the exception of the presiding officer.  Nassau County Legislators voted in 2007 to approve double-digit raises for the county executive (60%), comptroller (53%), district attorney (11%), assessor (66%) and clerk (66%), led by Democrats in the Legislature that are now seeking to mislead the public about Ford's record.

Former Presiding Officer Diane Yatauro (Democrat) publicly stated that she agreed the presiding officer is a full time position requiring on average 60 hours a week dedicated to setting the legislative agenda while performing oversight of the county’s budget. The New York State Democratic Committee failed to fully inform voters by omitting these facts in their misleading political ad. 

Michael P. Mulhall
Rockville Centre