Mangano Lie of the Day: October 18, 2013

Each day until Election Day, the Suozzi campaign will expose another lie coming from Nassau County Ed Mangano’s Administration. Here is today’s installment:

Yesterday afternoon, Mangano was interviewed by WCBS Radio 880. During this time, he unleashed one of the biggest lies he’s told during the course of the campaign.

“The county has nothing [to do] with school taxes; the only way those go up is if the schools ask for it,” said Mangano.

This is a blatant falsehood. While Nassau school districts have stuck to the state tax cap and held spending increases to 2.9% this year, school tax rates have skyrocketed due to Mangano’s mismanagement of the county assessment system.  Ed Magano’s own property taxes have gone up 24% or $2,800 in the past 2 years.  But don’t take our word for it.

The connection between county government and school taxes is clear as day. In an article dated October 9th, Newsday wrote: "School taxes are calculated by multiplying a property's assessment [set by the county] by the district's tax rate." It is absurd to deny that the county plays a huge role in school tax rates.

In a letter written to Mangano yesterday, Herricks School Board President James Gounaris said that the responsibility for school taxes hikes was “completely, unequivocally the responsibility of the county.”

On October 9th, Plainview-Old Bethpage Superintendent Lorna Lewis sent an email blasting the Mangano administration, stating "Nassau County is shifting an ever growing tax burden onto homeowners while claiming they are not raising taxes. It's time for the county to stop blaming the schools and take responsibility for fixing the broken tax assessment system."

Anton columnist Michael Miller wrote, “When a county executive interferes and artificially freezes assessed values and has assessment officials hand out reductions in 87% of appeals the tax base is eroded.  Final rates must rise to balance budgets, property wealth ratios are skewed and the integrity of the entire system crumbles.”

“School officials and independent observers from across Nassau County validate the fact that Ed Mangano told another bold faced lie yesterday,” said Suozzi Campaign Spokesman Jeff Guillot. “His complete mismanagement of the county assessment system has led to ‘The Mangano Tax’- an unacceptable and egregious 20% tax increase on residents across Nassau.”