Critics Blast Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano For Adding Workers To Payroll During Hiring Freeze

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- In the midst of a budget crisis, a hiring freeze was put into effect in Nassau County in December and then 213 layoffs were implemented in March.

However, Democrat Wayne Wink, a ranking member on the legislature's finance committee, said Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano isn't playing fair.

1010 WINS' Mona Rivera reports: Is Nassau County Really Under A Hiring Freeze?

Wink said numbers from the budget review office show that 113 workers have been added to the county's payroll, including two highly paid assistants to Mangano and his staff, since the so called hiring freeze was announced.

The two assistants are reportedly exempt from civil service hiring rules and are earning salaries of $70,000.

According to a report, 28 part-time and seasonal workers have also been hired.

"Let's call it for what it is, don't oversell that we have some hiring freeze in place which simply is not in place," Wink said. "We hire exempt employees while we continue to threaten union employees."

Mangano's office points out that the county executive has saved taxpayers an additional $4.78 million by eliminating costs related to full and part-time employees. This total is reflected in the annual savings of $70 million.

Spokesman Brian Nevin said, "Nassau County will operate with funding for 800 fewer employees than last year because of County Executive Ed Mangano's efforts to rein in employee costs."

Nevin said Mangano has reduced the workforce to the lowest level since the 1950s through attrition and layoffs.

Mangano has been struggling to close a $176 million budget gap. Last month, the Nassau Interim Finance Authority declared a fiscal emergency in the county.