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CSEA Tries to Flush County's Purchase
of GC Sewage Treatment Facility

Despite Nassau County Commissioner of Public Works Ray Ribeiro's proclamation last week that the purchase of Glen Cove's sewage treatment plant by the County would be a "win, win, win situation," CSEA members turned out to demonstrate at December's 12th's City Council public hearing. The Civil Service Employees Union (CSEA) efforts were a success insofar as the Council elected to table the proposal until a future meeting. Back in June, Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi announced his intention to consolidate/eliminate many of the town and village district entities and hand over their tasks to the County. Ribeiro reiterated Suozzi's statement made then, that the County would retain those already employed in the various districts and make them County employees.
The Leader asked CSEA Communications Associate Richard Impagliazzo why his union, specifically the Nassau Municipal Employees Local 882 Unit 7560, was opposed to the plan if their membership was guaranteed employment. He explained that the concern is that the City's employees will not be transferred to the County with the same salaries and benefits they currently have. John Shepherd, President of Nassau County Municipal Local 882, added, "We don't understand the rush. We haven't seen any documents regarding taking care of our people."
Shepherd was further quoted in a union press release as saying, "We see this as a prelude to privatization. Nassau County has failed in previous attempts to privatize public services and has likely formulated a new strategy to assuage fears of job loss by consolidating."
Meanwhile, Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi has seen this as an offer coming at an advantageous time. The City's largest employer, Photocircuits, was paying $1.5 million annually in water fees to Glen Cove prior to its closing this year. This loss could result in its residents paying an additional $533 per household toward the treatment plant unless the County buys the facility and takes over its administration.
In last week's Leader, Locust Valley Water District Superintendent Chuck Savinetti, discussed the advantages of a local district in that the residents can more closely control decisions regarding it and can expect an expeditious response in case of an emergency. Similarly, CSEA members protesting the County's plan carried placards that read, "Sewer district consolidation? What's the rush? The way things stand, if you have trouble with the sewer connection from your house to the street, the City of Glen Cove will respond immediately to address the situation. Sound comforting? Well enjoy it while it lasts because if Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi gets his way, the Water Pollution Control facility in the City of Glen Cove will cease to function as an autonomous entity and village residents will be subject to the whims of Nassau County. You know what that means. Instead of immediate service, you can expect to wait weeks, even months, before the county gets around to fixing your problem, and by that time, you would be hip deep in it. You know a bad deal when you see it. Tell the Mayor and the board of trustees to oppose Suozzi's risky scheme."

• Chris Roberts