(MINEOLA, N.Y.) – On Tuesday, Oct. 22, the Nassau Interim Financial Agency (NIFA) unanimously passed a resolution issuing a request for proposals (RFP) to retain a firm to audit the use of outside counsel by the office of the Nassau County Attorney.
Since the start of the Blakeman administration, outside counsel costs have ballooned - from $6,095,071 in Fiscal Year 2022 and $9,012,173 in Fiscal Year 2023 to an authorized sum of $14,555,000 in Fiscal Year 2024, including raiding the Litigation Fund.
Following NIFA’s action, Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) issued the following statement:
“Throughout my tenure as a Nassau County Legislator, I have consistently been frustrated with the disproportionate reliance upon outside counsel in the County Attorney’s office, especially when full-time staff attorneys would be more than qualified to defend the County’s interests,” Nassau County Legislature Deputy Minority Leader Arnold W. Drucker (D – Plainview) said. “Now that the Blakeman administration is on track to more than double its spending on outside counsel in just three years, I welcome an audit as a necessary step toward rooting out waste, restoring proper full-time staffing levels at the County Attorney’s office, and ensuring the most qualified firms are hired on the merits in instances where outside counsel is appropriate.”