In what Newsday and others are calling a “stunning” upset, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi has lost his bid for re-election to County Legislator Ed Mangano. During his tenure as County Executive, Suozzi was a proponent of smart growth through his visions of “New Suburbia” and “Cool Downtowns,” but often failed to adequately fund Long Island Bus.
What does the new administration mean for sustainable transportation, the 150-acre mixed-use Lighthouse Project, and moving Nassau County towards a more smart growth and transit-oriented future? On his campaign website, County Executive-elect Mangano calls the Lighthouse project “the largest and most promising enterprise on Long Island,” although he is critical of what he says is a politicized approval process.
There is no mention of public transportation on Mangano’s website and Tri-State did not hear much from the Legislator during the most recent battles for increased LI Bus funding. But in an interview with Let There be Light(house), a pro-Lighthouse blog, the County Executive-elect expressed support for continuing to subsidize the LI Bus system and recognized the importance of the system to Nassau County’s future. Mangano told the interviewer that “the [county] subsidy is small compared to the number of people who rely on public transit to get to work, make a living, support their families, and put that money back into the local economy.”
County Executive-elect Mangano was more ambiguous when it came to his support for a regional bus system, although there was no direct question as to the issue. Tri-State urges him to support regional bus, which could create more seamless service throughout NYC and the suburbs and end the annual LI Bus funding battles between Nassau County and the MTA.
There has been discussion that the new administration will revisit the recently passed County 2010 budget, which cut Nassau County’s contribution to LI Bus by $1.4 million. If Mangano wants to quickly differentiate his administration from County Executive Suozzi’s and make good on his public statements, he should immediately reinstate this funding and begin negotiations with the MTA to ensure a sustainable and dedicated funding source for LI Bus that will avoid future service cuts and bolster expansion of the nation’s largest suburban bus system.
Often overlooked and not mentioned is another Mega Project in Nassau County, the Glen Cove (Suozzi’s hometown) waterfront, which actually has traffic studies that called for the elimination of the Oyster Bay branch of the LIRR that services this area. As well there was no inclusion of upgrading bus service in and within the area, which is dismal at best.
Its great for politicians to use politically correct buzz words, it is another thing for them to actually not only follow through but actually understand infrastructure and transportation in the first place.
It is about time the County is in the hands of a real leader who will put this County back onn the map and return us to the Suburbia we know and love, Goodbye Tommy we are happy to see you go
[…] It's Official: Nassau Exec and Smart Growth Booster Tom Suozzi Ousted By Ed Mangano (MTR) […]
[…] misstep; it was certainly very different from the tone he took during last year’s campaign, when he said “mass transit has to be an integral part of the County’s plans… the [LI Bus] […]