Capital News 9 - Suozzi Says Spitzer Didn't Do His Job

Capital News 9 - Suozzi Says Spitzer Didn't Do His Job

"If Eliot Spitzer's plan was a Wall Street firm, the attorney general would have indicted that firm," Tom Suozzi said.

The day after Eliot Spitzer outlined his plan for property tax reform his Democratic challenger took shots at him, saying the plan doesn't add up. Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi said Spitzer is using something he calls "Albany Math."

"The problems we have in the state of New york are based upon government's failures, Attorney General Elliot Spitzer has done nothing to reform government what-so-ever," Suozzi said.

Suozzi said Spitzer's funding plan is full of holes. He says a big part of that plan banks on saving a billion dollars in Medicaid waste and fraud. Suozzi said he has the power to go after Medicaid fraud as attorney general, but hasn't.

"He's never made the reform of the most wasteful program in the state a priority," Suozzi said. "Why would we now believe he would be more effective as governor than he would as attorney general."

Suozzi says Spitzer is not being specific on how he'd pay for some of the changes he's proposing, like school funding and state mandates that force local governments to increase property taxes.

Suozzi hopes to beat Spitzer in the September primary, but on this day he shared a stage with the man he's hoping to replace in January.

Governor George Pataki also spoke at the New York Conference of Mayors, and nothing but praise for the local leaders.

"As Mayor you are on the street corner, the people know what you are doing," Pataki said. "I still believe even after 12 years as Governor, the most important people are local officials."

http://tomsuozzi.com/news/cp9-061306/