Dems: 'Less Mailings and More Action'

County Democratic lawmakers slammed County Executive Edward Mangano's administration Monday for not allocating more funds and attention to address the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Able-Ride service cuts. 

Legislator Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove), the Legislature's Minority Leader, said Mangano has "wasted taxpayer money boasting about accomplishments through county-wide mailings" instead of finding solutions for passengers who no longer have access to Able-Ride, a curb-to-curb paratransit bus service for people with disabilities. 

"I find these mailings offensive because as a taxpayer, I object to subsidizing mailings that do not inform the residents on issues or events specific to Nassau County or its individual communities," Yatauro said. "Mr. Mangano spent about $200,000 on two mailings about his accomplishments. To me, these were political campaign pieces that had no beneficial information for our taxpayers."

The cuts, which are expected to save the MTA $1.2 million in its $17 million Able-Ride budget, were finalized on June 3. Many patrons in Glen Cove and other nearby areas have been forced to find other transportation because the MTA eliminated service to and from locations more than three-quarters of a mile from a fixed Long Island Bus route. 

The criticism comes just days after Yatauro told Patch that the Legislature's Democratic Caucus was pushing for the "distribution of vouchers" and other initiatives on the state level to restore the cuts, but they have been unsuccessful. 

Mangano, however, fired back on Monday, criticizing Yatauro and the Democrats for using the Able-Ride issue as "political football," and noted that his administration has pushed to restore the cuts through appeals on the state and federal level, but also to no avail. 

"It's shameful that Diane Yatauro continues to use her office to create the illusion that the Democratic minority are serving the public good, when for eight years, they spent lavishly and drove this county into fiscal disaster, which includes voting to cut the funding for the Able Ride program," Mangano said in a statement, adding that he has printed three mailings since taking office on Jan. 1 whereas the Democrats have printed 26. "To use the disabled who are suffering from the Able Ride cuts for political gain is a shocking new low for a party that had every opportunity to do things right and failed at every turn."  

Mangano, who defeated Glen Cove resident Tom Suozzi last year to become the county leader, also contended that if the Democrats would direct more attention to helping "reform the county's assessment system, services such as Able-Ride could be properly funded." 

The decreased Able-Ride service, MTA officials said, will reduce its nearly 400,000 yearly patrons by roughly 10 percent. 

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