Adam Haber: I'd give part of pay to youth programs

Businessman Adam Haber, a Democratic candidate for Nassau County executive, says that during his first 30 days in office he would begin giving away more than a third of his salary to youth programs and create an incentive program for employees who identify ways to save money.

"My first 30 days in office will set the tone for an administration that will change business as usual," said Haber, a Roslyn school board member who is challenging former County Executive Thomas Suozzi for the Democratic nomination in September.

The winner will take on Republican County Executive Edward Mangano in November.

Suozzi's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Haber's agenda. But in an interview last week Suozzi said that upon taking office he would immediately freeze county hiring and nonemergency purchases and begin reviewing operations of all county departments.

Haber said that, if elected, he would give $65,000 of his salary to youth and social service programs, which lost much of their government funding during a political dispute last year. The county executive makes $174,000.

Haber also would make his schedule available to the public online; review all appointive positions; prohibit employees from parking in the front of county office buildings -- reserving the space for members of the public -- and create an incentive program that would pay Nassau employees up to $5,000 for coming up with money-saving ideas.

Haber, a retired Wall Street executive, said he would institute a "self-imposed ban on campaign contributions from county employees to the county executive's campaign," and create a task force to increase the number of women and minorities in the county workforce.

Departments would have to meet specific contracting goals for minority and women-owned businesses.

Mangano spokesman Brian Nevin said Haber had "presented recycled ideas" and called him "out of touch" with the needs of county residents.