George Maragos

Last updated
George Maragos
CompGeorgeMaragosSept11.JPG
George Maragos attends a wreath laying ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
13th Comptroller of Nassau County
In office
January 2010 –January 2018
Spouse
Angela Maragos
​
(m. 1973)​
Children
  • Peter (b. 1976)
  • Angelo (b. 1985)
Residence Nassau County, New York
Alma mater

George Maragos (born March 17, 1949) was the 13th Comptroller of Nassau County, New York, USA. He was first elected in 2009 for a four-year term and was re-elected in 2013 for a second four-year term. [1]

Contents

Education

Maragos received an M.B.A in finance in 1983 from Pace University in New York City. As an undergraduate, he studied electrical engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, earning a Bachelor of Engineering in electrical engineering in 1973. [2]

Early career

Maragos started his career at Bell-Northern Research where he was one of the youngest managers in the global technology organization. In 1978, he joined Booz Allen Hamilton in New York to work on U.S. Military Defense Command and Control Systems, requiring security clearances from the U.S. government. He later became an associate in charge of developing information technology solutions for major multi-national commercial clients. [2]

In 1981, he joined Chase Manhattan Bank, leading a team charged with building the organization's international data and money transfer network. He was later promoted to vice president. In 1986, he joined Citibank as vice president and director of North American Treasury and Telecommunications Systems. [2]

In 1989, Maragos founded his own business, SDS Financial Technologies, and was its president and CEO for over 20 years until his election as Nassau County Comptroller in 2009. [2]

Nassau County Comptroller

Maragos was elected as Nassau County comptroller in November 2009, and was sworn in in January 2010. He was re-elected to a second term beginning in January 2014. The comptroller and his staff oversee the county's budget and financial operations; in 2017, the annual budget was $2.6 billion. The comptroller's office audits government agencies, reviews all county contracts and claims and reports on all matters that significantly affect Nassau County's financial health and operations. The office is also in charge of administering the county payroll and employee health benefits, and preparing Nassau County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. In general, Maragos and his staff "work with the administration and legislature to help Nassau County overcome its fiscal challenges". [3]

Police overtime report

Maragos released an audit of the Nassau County Police Department which revealed $96.28 million in higher-than-budgeted overtime costs and $382.27 million in savings from attrition from 2009 to 2014. These figures were compounded on $247.58 million in estimated future savings as a result of the new collective bargaining agreement. Maragos gave credit to the Nassau County Police for keeping crime low and protecting Nassau County residents but also proposed that the police department's management practices needed to be revised so that more resources could be directed to improve public safety. [4]

Economic vision

Maragos released a study in 2014 into the changing demographics of Nassau County. The study proposed a new economic vision for the county which, if implemented, it was claimed would revitalize the economy by drawing on the county's natural advantages to become the health and wellness center of the world. Maragos proposed that Nassau County should become a place where people would "want to come to receive the best medical treatments and where the next generation of miracle medicines would be discovered". He urged greater focused investments in innovation, research and development, transportation infrastructure and IT to achieve this economic vision. [5]

Verizon audit

At the request of the Nassau County Police Department, the Nassau County Comptroller's Office conducted an audit which revealed that Verizon underpaid the county over $466,919, an amount that may have increased as investigations continued. From 2001 to 2014, Verizon implemented an Enhanced 911 system throughout Nassau County. During this time, Verizon deducted 1-3% beyond the permitted administrative fee from residents' monthly phone bills. The comptroller's office recommended a collaboration with the offices of the Nassau County Police to obtain the total unpaid amount from Verizon while the police department reviewed the previous months that Verizon was working with Nassau County on the E911 system to determine whether or not there was even more withheld during that time. [6]

Town of Hempstead IDA audit

In a letter dated December 4, 2014, the Hempstead Industrial Development Agency ("IDA") proposed a Payment In Lieu Of Taxes ("PILOT") which was described to assist with the purchase of 71.87 acres of land and improvements to the Green Acres Commons (formerly known as the Green Acres Mall). It was not until December 12, 2014, that a cost-benefit analysis for the project was released. The approval of the IDA's PILOT on December 17, 2014, directly contributed to a rise in school property taxes from 4.6% to 12.2% while reducing the taxes paid by the Green Acre Commons by $2.7 million. Maragos review of the documents concerned the PILOTs' unusually expedited process of approval, as well as the PILOT's four-page cost-benefit analysis which contained only calculation tables without any explanations. On October 24, 2016, the Nassau County Comptroller's Office commenced a formal audit of the Town of Hempstead IDA regarding the PILOT granted to the Green Acres Mall. [7]

GEB living wage audit

Maragos conducted and released an audit of a county contract totaling $385,478 in order to monitor the removal of debris caused by Superstorm Sandy. The contract was performed by Gibbons, Esposito and Boyce (GEB), an engineering firm based in Uniondale, New York. Eight field monitors, who constituted 50% of the employees who were working on the debris removal monitoring project, were underpaid. According to the audit, GEB failed to provide proof that all of its field monitors had the proper FEMA protocol training which was a minimum requirement stated in the contract. Paid time off was not awarded, which is contrary to Living Wave Law. Various time sheets that GEB submitted to the county for reimbursement did not contain the appropriate signatures for approval. GEB and its legal counsel maintained that they were exempt from the county's Living Wage Law. The auditors disagreed. GEB offered to pay the employees the Living Wave underpayment. The audit was sent to Nassau's County and District Attorneys for further review. [8]

Long Island Bus study

Maragos at the Nassau County Legislature testimony on the privatization of Island Bus in November 2010 Maragos Marques LI Bus Leg Testimony 2011.jpg
Maragos at the Nassau County Legislature testimony on the privatization of Island Bus in November 2010

Maragos released a study concerning the proposed privatization of Long Island Bus after over 35 years. The report recommended that the best option for Nassau County was to negotiate with the MTA to continue with the current service, with a more equitable subsidy. The MTA should first decrease the LIBS operating expense by about 4%, so that no increase in subsidies would be required for 2011 by either the MTA or the county. If an increase was necessary, then both the county and the MTA should proportionately increase their subsidies in order to keep the LIBS running. However, if negotiations failed and Nassau County was forced to contribute the full subsidy demanded by the MTA of over $36 million for 2011, then Maragos ultimately recommended that privatization should be pursued. [9]

Parking ticket audit

In early 2011, Maragos released an audit of the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, which showed that on December 31, 2010, the agency had $44 million in uncollected traffic violation fines dating back ten years and $26 million in uncollected parking violations in the previous six years with red light camera passed due tickets estimated at over $10 million alone on December 31, 2011. [10]

Consumer Affairs audit

Maragos released an audit of the Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs. The audit, conducted from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015, revealed that poor internal controls led to a loss of $2.9 million in county revenue. Missed violations from a lack of Item Pricing Waiver inspections resulted in approximately $1.5 million in uncollected fees. Maragos went on to say that a complete overhaul was needed to restore the confidence of the public and to improve efficiency. [11]

Innovation

In January 2014, Maragos posted all vendor names, contract amounts and brief summaries of public contracts to social media via Facebook. This is considered to be the first time nationwide that public contracts had been released to the public in such a manner. [12]

Awards

In 2010, Maragos and his staff were awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, for the county's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. [13] The Comptroller's office was similarly recognized by the professional association in the next five years (2011-2015). [14]

Other honors and awards include:

Candidacy for Nassau County Executive 2017

Maragos announced on September 29, 2016, that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Nassau County Executive in 2017. [17] He stated that he had been at odds with County Republican leaders "for years" but, up until May 2016, he had still been donating heavily to Republicans and the County Republican Committee. [18]

He was criticised by both Republicans and Democrats after his switch of party affiliation to run for County Executive. Brian Nevin, the spokesman for Republican Edward P. Mangano, called him an opportunist with Conservative values that he trumpeted during his two failed Senate campaigns. Robert Zimmerman, the Democratic National Committeeman from Great Neck, called Maragos's switch "an affront to the principles and standards of the Democratic Party". [17]

Candidacy for United States Senate in 2012

George Maragos and wife Angela in 2012 George and Angela Maragos, Gatsby Event 05 18 13.JPG
George Maragos and wife Angela in 2012

Maragos faced Congressman Bob Turner and attorney Wendy E. Long in a primary election to face Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. The 2012 New York State Republican Convention split the endorsement between the three candidates, with enough support for each candidate to automatically appear on the ballot. The primary was held on June 26, 2012, and the general election coincided with the presidential election on November 2.

Maragos was unable to win name recognition outside Nassau County and ultimately was defeated and came in last place. [19]

Maragos also attempted to run for the US Senate in 2010.

Political views

Maragos said during an interview, "Some people would even like to marry with their pets," worried that the legalization of gay marriage could also lead to the legalization of polygamy. At the time, he was against abortion, except to preserve the life of the mother or in cases of rape or incest. [20] Maragos later explained that his views had "evolved", believing in the right of a woman to choose and that same-sex marriage is the law and should be respected. [17]

Personal

Maragos has been married to Angela since 1973, and has two sons, Peter and Angelo, and two grandchildren. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Rail Road</span> Commuter rail system on Long Island, New York

The Long Island Rail Road, often abbreviated as the LIRR, is a commuter rail system in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of New York, stretching from Manhattan to the eastern tip of Suffolk County on Long Island. With an average weekday ridership of 354,800 passengers in 2016, it is the busiest commuter railroad in North America. It is also one of the world's few commuter systems that runs 24/7 year-round. It is publicly owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which refers to it as MTA Long Island Rail Road. In 2021, the system had a ridership of 49,167,600, or about 216,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassau County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Nassau County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. At the 2020 U.S. census, Nassau County's population is 1,395,774. The county seat is Mineola and the largest town is Hempstead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munsey Park, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Munsey Park is a village in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered part of the Greater Manhasset area, which is anchored by Manhasset. The population was 2,809 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Hempstead, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

North Hempstead is one of three towns in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 237,639 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hempstead, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

The Town of Hempstead, historically known as South Hempstead, is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, on the western half of Long Island. Twenty-two incorporated villages are completely or partially within the town. The town's combined population was 759,757 at the 2010 census, which is the majority of the population of the county and by far the largest of any town in New York. In 2019, its combined population increased to an estimated 759,793 according to the American Community Survey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nassau Inter-County Express</span> Public transportation organization in New York

The Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) is the local bus system serving Nassau County, New York. It also serves parts of western Suffolk County, New York as well as eastern portions of the New York City borough of Queens. It was formerly operated under the name of MTA Long Island Bus, the trading name of the Metropolitan Suburban Bus Authority, a division of MTA Regional Bus Operations. In 2011, the owner, Nassau County, decided to outsource the system to a private operator, Veolia Transport, due to a funding dispute with the MTA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Suozzi</span> American politician (born 1962)

Thomas Richard Suozzi is an American politician, attorney and accountant who served as the U.S. representative for New York's 3rd congressional district from 2017 to 2023. His district included part of the North Shore of Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Garner (politician)</span>

James A. Garner is a U.S. politician from the Republican party who was mayor of the Village of Hempstead, New York, from 1988 to 2005, and was the first African-American to be elected a mayor on Long Island.

Francis Thomas Purcell was a Republican politician who was county executive of Nassau County, New York (1978–87). He served as a trustee and also as mayor of the village of Malverne, was a member of the New York State Assembly, and supervisor of the town of Hempstead, New York, before becoming county executive in 1978. After resigning in 1987, Purcell became a political commentator for Cablevision's news channel News 12 Long Island. In 2004, a section of land formerly called Hempstead Plains was dedicated to Purcell in honor of his service and dedication to Nassau County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis E. Dillon</span> American politician

Denis E. Dillon, was an American prosecutor and politician who served as District Attorney of Nassau County, New York, from 1975 to 2005. Dillon was well known for his opposition to abortion rights, and the issue prompted his defection to the Republican Party in 1989, having previously been one of the very few Democratic politicians to have success in Nassau County. Prior to his defection, Dillon challenged incumbent Democrat Mario Cuomo from the right in the 1986 New York gubernatorial election, finishing in third place with 3% of the vote as the nominee of the New York State Right to Life Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kathleen Rice</span> U.S. Representative from New York

Kathleen Maura Rice is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States representative for New York's 4th congressional district from 2015 to 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before serving in Congress, Rice served as the Nassau County district attorney, and, before that, she served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia and as an assistant district attorney in the Kings County District Attorney's Office in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Acres Mall</span> Shopping mall in New York, U.S.

Green Acres Mall is an indoor shopping mall located in South Valley Stream, New York, off Sunrise Highway in Nassau County near the border of New York City and the Incorporated Village of Valley Stream. As of 2022, the mall currently features two Macy's locations, as well as a Primark coming soon. The mall currently features staples like Express, H&M, and Forever 21. The mall has a gross leasable area (GLA) of 2,069,000 square feet (192,200 m2). The mall is the 18th largest in the United States. The mall is extremely popular in Nassau County and in the neighboring New York City borough of Queens. The mall is accessible by many Nassau Inter-County Express routes as well as two MTA New York City Bus routes, the Q5 and Q85, that cross the city border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas DiNapoli</span> American politician

Thomas Peter DiNapoli is an American politician serving as the 54th and current New York State Comptroller since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed by a bipartisan majority of the New York State Legislature to the position of comptroller on February 7, 2007. He was then elected Comptroller by New York's voters in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. In his 2014 victory, he led the statewide ticket with the most votes. He was easily reelected to a third term in November 2018, receiving 64.9% of the vote. In 2022, he secured his fourth term in office, receiving 57% of the vote. He is the second longest-serving comptroller in New York State History.

The New York and Long Island Traction Company was a street railway company in Queens and Nassau County, New York, United States. It was partially owned by a holding company for the Long Island Rail Road and partially by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company. The company operated from New York City east to Freeport, Hempstead, and Mineola.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Mangano</span> Politician

Edward P. Mangano is an American politician from the state of New York. A Republican, he was the Nassau County Executive from January 2010 to December 2017, and a former legislator in Nassau County, New York. He was elected in 1995 and served seven terms as a county legislator. In November 2009, he defeated incumbent Thomas R. Suozzi for Nassau County Executive. In November 2013, he was re-elected, again defeating Suozzi, by 59% to 41%.

Bruce Arthur Blakeman is an American attorney and politician currently serving as the 10th County Executive of Nassau County, New York. He was elected in the 2021 election, defeating Democratic incumbent Laura Curran. He previously served as the commissioner for the New York-New Jersey Port Authority as well as a Nassau County legislator and Hempstead town councilman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Martins</span> American politician

Joaquim "Jack" M. Martins is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate for the 7th district. A Republican, he previously served as mayor of Mineola, New York.

Elaine Phillips is an American politician who currently serves as Nassau County Comptroller, with a term beginning in January 2022. She was elected to the position in a landslide victory, defeating Democrat Ryan Cronin 61%-39% to succeed retiring incumbent Jack Schnirman. Phillips previously represented the New York State Senate's 7th district, and had previously served as the 18th Mayor of Flower Hill, New York. She is a Republican. Phillips was elected to the Senate in 2016, but was defeated in her 2018 re-election bid.

The Nassau Interim Finance Authority is a New York State public-benefit corporation created to assist Nassau County, a suburban county adjacent to the city of New York on Long Island, emerge from a financial and debt crisis that began in the late 1990s. As of the start of 2022, NIFA, as it is known, was still in place and still supervising Nassau's finances under a control period that resumed in 2011 after a three-year hiatus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Curran</span> Former County Executive of Nassau County NY

Laura Curran is a Canadian-born American politician who served as the county executive of Nassau County from 2018 to 2021. She was the ninth county executive in Nassau County history and the first woman to hold the office. Curran worked as a reporter before serving in the Nassau County Legislature.

References

  1. ↑ Hadrick, Celeste (November 6, 2013). "Maragos defeats Weitzman in Nassau comptroller race" . Newsday . Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Biography: George Maragos". County Comptroller's Office. Nassau County, Long Island, New York. Archived from the original on February 10, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Role of the Comptroller". Nassau County Comptroller's Office. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  4. ↑ Costello, Alex (December 7, 2016). "Nassau Police Overtime Exceeds Budget by $13M: Comptroller". Mineola Patch. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
    - Maragos, Georger (April 25, 2016). "Limited Review of the Nassau County Police Department Overtime". Comptroller's Office. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
    - Fuller, Nicole (April 26, 2016). "Audit: NCPD exceeded OT budget by $96M in 6 years" . Newsday. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Maragos: Study Shows County Population to Decline Over Next 10 Years" (Press release). County Comptroller. Nassau County, Long Island, New York. Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  6. ↑ Fuller, Nicole (December 8, 2015). "Lax accounting led to revenue loss for Nassau's 911, audit says" . Newsday. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
    - Ferris, Marc (May 4, 2003). "Surcharge on Cellphones, but for What?" . The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ Dazio, Stefanie Dazio (October 24, 2016). "Nassau comptroller begins audit over Green Acres Mall tax breaks" . Newsday. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
    - Ciccone, Nick (October 27, 2016). "Residents lambast IDA over tax breaks". LI Herald. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
    - "Maragos Orders Audit of Town of Hempstead (IDA) PILOT". LongIsland.com. October 25, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
    - "Hempstead lawsuit seeks to nullify Green Acres Mall tax reduction agreement". Verizon Internet. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  8. ↑ Manskar, Noah (August 19, 2017). "County officials hampered audit of probed contract: Maragos". The Island Now. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
    - Brodsky, Robert (June 15, 2017). "Nassau comptroller: Vendor underpaid employees by $17,000" . Newsday. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ Castillo, Alfonso A (November 17, 2010). "Comptroller: Nassau, MTA unfair to LI Bus riders". Newsday. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ Cassese, Sid (January 11, 2012). "Nassau comptroller: Unpaid tickets 'urgent issue'" . Newsday. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  11. ↑ Brodsky Robert (September 6, 2017). "Consumer office failings may have cost Nassau $3M, audit finds" . Newsday. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  12. ↑ Hadrick, Celeste (January 14, 2014). "Nassau posts its contracts online for the first time" . Newsday. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Comptroller Maragos and Staff Presented with Financial Reporting Achievement Award" (Press release). Nassau County, Long Island, New York. January 10, 2011. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Comptroller Maragos' Office Receives Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting" (Press release). Nassau County, Long Island, New York. January 2, 2017. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Thank you for your valiant efforts on behalf of our candidates!!". Events-Blog. The Queens Village Republican Club, Inc. November 7, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  16. 1 2 3 "Comptrollers Office". Linked in.
  17. 1 2 3 LaRocco, Paul (September 29, 2016). "George Maragos to seek Democratic nod in county exec race" . Newsday. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  18. ↑ LaRocco, Paul (October 2, 2016). "George Maragos, now a Democrat, was regular GOP donor" . Newsday. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
  19. ↑ Reisman, Nick (March 16, 2012). "Three Challengers of Senator Gillibrand Reach the Primary Ballot". Spectrum News NY1: Queens . Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  20. ↑ Ablamsky, Jessica (August 24, 2011). "County comptroller seeks U.S. Senate seat". The Island Now. Blank Slate Media. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by Nassau County Comptroller
2010–present		Succeeded by
Jack Schnirman
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.