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Jon Kaiman is leading NIFA out of the wilderness of wage freezes.
Recently, NIFA's new chairman convinced his board to approve yet another wage freeze on
Nassau County workers, while at the same time approving a framework to end the freezes.
Kaiman said the arrangement requires $129 million in new county revenue. Negotiations
are also expected to produce millions more in savings through employee contributions
to health benefits and other concessions.
But NIFA Director Chris Wright disagreed. "I believe the true cost of the arrangement
is probably closer to a quarter of a billion dollars," he said. "And I don't believe the
county has demonstrated its ability to pay for that. So I vote no."
So who's right? No doubt the legislature's budget review office needs to carefully cost
out this deal.
But given the deal's reliance on risky revenues--such as fines from school-zone cameras--you have
to wonder how the county can raise the millions required.
Only time will tell whether Kaiman's strategy ends wage freezes, or whether this deal just
kicks the can of debt down the road, past another election.
The time is right for change. Nassau can't function fairly or effectively under continuous
wage freezes.