Democrats in the Nassau Legislature are renewing their calls for an overhaul of the county's contracting process.
Democratic Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams and other lawmakers say they plan to introduce a pair of bills to address what they call a lack of oversight. One bill would create an independent inspector general position to analyze all county contracts. The second piece of legislation would repeal a clause in the county charter that allows the county executive's office to approve contracts worth less than $25,000 without legislative approval.
The push comes on the heels of news that Hauppauge-based BluChip Marketing received a pair of no-bid contracts from the county in 2013 and 2014. Each fell just below the $25,000 threshold.
As News 12 has reported, allegations have surfaced that BluChip executive Karin Caro and County Executive Ed Mangano sent sexual messages via text and social media to one another. Both say they were hacked, and Nassau police are investigating.
It is not clear if the Republican-led Legislature will bring the contract oversight bills up for a vote. The county is expected to soon announce the creation of a new director of contract procurement position, and Majority Leader Norma Gonsalves says that makes the Democratic plan "duplicative."
News 12 contacted Mangano's office for comment on the proposed bills. A county attorney said in a statement, "All contracts under $25,000 are noticed to the county Legislature on its public calendar and subject to several levels of approval, including the county attorney and county comptroller. The administration has no opposition to county legislative approval requirements."