New Effort to Merge Long Island County's Treasurer-Comptroller Offices

A New York county executive has begun a new front on his goal of merging public finance operations and ousting the municipality’s’ current treasurer.

Democratic Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone has filed a bill that if approved would drop a provision in the county’s charter that protects elected officials from being removed from their post in the middle of a term, Newsday reported.

The Long Island lawmaker had tried to include a referendum on the November 5 ballot that would ask voters for approval to consolidate the elected comptroller and treasurer offices, but the move was blocked by the Supreme Court of the State of New York State Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department.

The merger would eliminate the Suffolk County treasurer’s post currently occupied by Republican Angie Carpenter, who Bellone defeated for county executive in 2011.

Bellone told MFT in September that his proposal would save his county more than $1 million a year when factoring in $833,000 of salaries and reduced technology costs.

Carpenter’s office has a staff of 43 and is responsible for overseeing tax parcel records and collecting delinquent taxes, according to Bellone. 

These tasks under Bellone’s plan would be transferred over to Suffolk County Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, whose title would be changed to chief financial officer.

In response to Bellone’s new attempt to end her position, Carpenter told Newsday, "This is pure vendetta. They don't want someone watching the money."