The Election-Day tax revolt that ripped through New York like a surprise nor’easter claimed its biggest casualty yesterday: After a four-week-long recount, two-term Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi conceded defeat to Republican challenger Ed Mangano.
The loss upset the plans of the ambitious Suozzi, who’d been eyeing another statewide race, despite an ignominious flameout in his 2006 gubernatorial primary against Eliot Spitzer.
Suozzi had cast himself as the poster-boy for property-tax reform, hoping to capitalize on voter anger at the crushing levies.
He created the Fix Albany political action committee five years ago, seeking to force the Legislature to mitigate the impact of state policies on county budgets. That produced mixed results: A few candidates he backed won — but you’d be hard-pressed to see what they’ve done to “fix Albany.”
Then-Gov. Spitzer subsequently appointed his former rival to head up a property-tax reform commission, which settled on the idea of a property-tax cap.
A year and a half later, there’s still no cap in place.
Bottom line: Suozzi seemed more to talk reform than to actually produce it.
And it looks like his Nassau County constituents — who still live in one of the highest-taxed counties in America — noticed. Suozzi paid the price for his inability actually to deal with the issue of greatest concern to voters.
That’s why the once-rising Democratic star had to deliver a concession speech yesterday. It’s also why Nassau’s Legislature flipped to the Republicans on Election Day.
Tom Suozzi only talked the talk, and now he’s taking a walk.
Who’s next?