Suffolk's poor use of oversight

Oversight is a regrettably seldom-used but key function of legislators in Albany, Mineola and Hauppauge. It must be smart, thoughtful and fair.

Unfortunately, a pending bill in the Suffolk County Legislature that sponsors Rob Trotta and Trish Bergin say would provide more accountability in the contracts it awards to nonprofits meets none of those criteria. At this point, their effort has been so badly mangled the bill can't meet any of its stated goals. Beyond its uncertain intent and flawed drafting, unnecessary acrimony at official meetings and grandstanding have degraded the process of lawmaking. The measure should be rejected by Suffolk legislators at next week's meeting.

Trotta and Bergin's initial proposal said no chief executive of a nonprofit that contracts with the county can make more than the salary of New York's governor — $250,000. It's a totally arbitrary number and doesn't take into account that some of the region's major nonprofits are complex organizations with multimillion-dollar budgets that need skilled management.

Additionally, these nonprofits, which often serve the most unfortunate in our community, are closely watched by the New York State attorney general. And why the focus on nonprofits? If a paving company executive is making $3 million a year, there might be some connection to how much that company's contract costs Suffolk.

The other major provision of the bill is that the roughly 20 nonprofits that would be affected disclose the names and address of all those who give donations and gifts. That is likely unconstitutional and could intimidate donors who may not want their support for specific charities publicly known or don't want to be contacted by other fundraisers.

Trotta and Bergin acknowledge their bill is not likely to save the county money. After strong pushback from nonprofits, dismay from other Republicans in the legislative majority, and a public hearing that was off the charts on nastiness, the sponsors did some rewriting. The measure is now more illogical. This version allows a committee to issue waivers so a nonprofit could still get a contract if the CEO makes more than the governor. But there are no metrics or criteria for obtaining a waiver. 

A better approach would be for legislators to actually review the contracts submitted by the Suffolk County executive and ask their own questions. That's the essence of oversight, not the surprise visit Trotta made to a Hicksville addiction treatment clinic run by the Family & Children’s Association; the clinic doesn't even get Suffolk funding but Family & Children's Association CEO Jeff Reynolds is a major critic of the bill. The stunt further undermined Trotta's agenda.

If the hidden goal of Trotta and Bergin is to stop those who serve in government from awarding service contracts on the way out the door and then landing high-paying jobs at one of those nonprofits, they should tighten the county's ethics rules. Engaging in this divisive exercise benefits no one.