Maverick Nassau County Executive Is Weighing His Political Future

Thomas Suozzi does not like to talk about the speculation. But Nassau County’s fresh-faced county executive views the guessing game about what he might do next as a sign of a healthy political career.During a sit-down interview in the lobby of a Marriott Hotel at Uniondale, Long Island, Mr. Suozzi, who has acquired the reputation of a maverick willing to take on the Democratic establishment, left the door open for a possible run for higher office.Though he remained on message in talking about Medicaid – he successfully championed a cap for the share of the Medicaid pie that New York’s counties pay – and about his other policy initiatives, the 42-year-old Glen Cove Democrat is not ruling out a future campaign.“I’ve got a re-election campaign in November 2005,” Mr. Suozzi said late last week. “That is really taking up all of my interest and all of my efforts.”He added: “If I ever want to run for higher office in the future, I’ve got to do a good job as county executive of Nassau County. That’s what I’m focused on doing.”As Mr. Suozzi hopscotches among Long Island events to talk about his vision for remaking suburbia, and as he criss-crosses the state in his role as president of the New York State County Executives to discuss revamping the health-care system, rumors about his plans for 2006 have been swirling through political circles.Yet there are several obstacles that could make running for higher office – or at least winning it – difficult. For starters, the Democrats already have formidable candidates in place for two of the jobs Mr. Suozzi’s name has been mentioned for: governor and state attorney general. Either would be a logical next step up.The attorney general, Eliot Spitzer, has nearly $8 million in the bank and has the Democratic establishment behind his bid to replace Governor Pataki, whose poll numbers are at record lows. Meanwhile, a former governor of Massachusetts, William Weld, a Republican, recently raised the stakes in that election when he announced that he would consider joining the race if Mr. Pataki and Rudolph Giuliani opt out. That, analysts said, makes the race even more vital for Democrats and means the party will probably want to unite behind one heavyweight candidate – presumably Mr. Spitzer.At this stage, Mr. Suozzi would have a tough time being that candidate, though running would raise his profile for a future campaign.When asked whether he disagreed with Mr. Spitzer on any major policy issues, Mr. Suozzi, who would have to face the attorney general in a primary if he decided to run for governor, said he could not imagine that they would have many “ideological” differences.“I think Eliot Spitzer is a wonderful public servant,” he said as he leaned forward in his high-back leather armchair. “I think he’s very smart. I think he’s one of the best attorney generals in the United States of America, and I think he’s done a great job.”Like Mr. Spitzer, Mr. Suozzi has been widely lauded for his tenacity and undeniably has appeal to voters. In his 2001 election, he won approximately 63% of the vote as a Democrat in one of the most heavily Republican counties in the state. Since then, he has steered Nassau County away from the threat of bankruptcy and launched his Fix Albany campaign, which singled out lawmakers of both parties for political gridlock and lobbied to put a lid on state mandated expenditures for Medicaid.His supporters credit him with trimming the county workforce by 10%, winning cost-saving concessions from unions, refinancing the county’s debt, and bringing the county back to financial health.His opponents have a different take. They have criticized him in connection with rising gang violence in the county and a scandal involving one of his deputies. The former deputy county executive, Peter Sylver, pleaded guilty to misusing county funds and to sexual abuse of a county employee. An independent report faulted Mr. Suozzi for creating a flawed management system that allowed spending abuses to occur. Political opponents also blame Mr. Suozzi for a major hike in property taxes during his first year, and they say he could never have turned around the county’s finances without help from Albany in the form of cash, low-interest loans, and debt refinancing.Nonetheless, Mr. Suozzi’s rebellion against the state government landed him a role in negotiating the cap that Albany recently adopted, and elevated him from local fame to broader recognition as a risk taker. It made him at least a potential political power on the statewide level.During the Marriott interview, Mr. Suozzi spoke in an animated, quick-witted style. As he was leaving, instead of a handshake, he went for a high five.He said Medicaid costs have forced counties to hike property taxes to collect enough money to send back to pay for the ever-increasing cost of the health-insurance program.Some Republicans have criticized him for advocating for the cap but failing to fight aggressively to contain Medicaid costs. Capping counties’ costs will only shift the burden to state taxpayers, they said.His argument: The state will curb those expenses once that cap goes into effect. He equated it to eating at a high-end restaurant such as Le Cirque and having to pay only part of the bill.“They were spending, spending, spending with no concern for what the cost was,” he said. “I believe now that they are paying more of the bill they will be forced to be more responsible.”Mr. Suozzi’s guerrilla-warfare approach has made him enemies both inside and outside his party. The county executive successfully orchestrated the ouster last year of a 12-year Assembly Democratic incumbent, David Sikiman, by a handpicked candidate, Charles Lavine. He also tried to knock out two GOP senators from Nassau County, Carl Marcellino and Dean Skelos, but both won re-election.“He may be a Democrat, but he has campaigned against Democrats,” Assemblyman John LaVelle, chairman of the Staten Island Democratic Party, said of Mr. Suozzi. “It’s not a way to engender loyalty and support within the party.”Others have questioned whether someone who spent so much time beating up on Albany from the outside could be effective in negotiating agreements from the inside.“If he hopes for statewide office, he’s going to need to stake out clearer positions on issues that are state issues, such as Medicaid reform,” a fiscal conservative, E.J. McMahon, said. “A local official can get away with blaming Albany mandates for some of his problems, but somebody who aspires to state office has to be clear about what he would do about those mandates.”A lawyer and former Wall Street litigator, Mr. Suozzi was elected mayor of Glen Cove in 1993, a position both his father and his uncle had held. At age 31, he was the youngest person ever elected to job.This year, Mr. Suozzi is still the favorite for re-election, but Nassau County Republicans are putting up a challenger and the county executive has become a divisive figure.When asked about reports of an endorsement from the county’s Conservative Party, he said he would welcome it but is a lifelong Democrat and does not consider it probable.Then, with a smirk, he cited an adage: “As they say in politics, in order of importance there are three things. Number one, there’s the speculation about the good things you’re doing. That’s the best. Second best is the speculation about the bad things you’re doing, because at least they’re still talking about you. And the third is that there’s no speculation at all because nobody’s interested.”When asked whether he would make a decision about running for governor in next year’s election, he said: “I’ll make a decision about 2006 in 2006 probably.”

Maverick Nassau County Executive Is Weighing His Political Future

Maverick Nassau County Executive Is Weighing His Political Future

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