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Questions Surround Use Of Taxpayer Funds To Cover Nassau Political Flyers

MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A nasty political battle is brewing in Nassau County.

Government funded flyers that arrived this week, have one party accusing the other of lying to residents at the taxpayers' expense.

As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported, political watchdogs say -- these days in Nassau, anything goes.

"They transferred $400,000 over to cover the expenses while they are running a structural deficit of $175 to 200-million, you'd think at some point shame would kick in, a sense of conscience," political observer Paul Sabatino said.

Under state law, governmental mailings must be informative and legitimate. It is illegal to use taxpayer dollars to send misleading partisan self-promotional junk mail.

"Republican, democrat, progressive, liberal, conservative, they're all the same," Sabatino said.

All three candidates for county executive slammed corrupt tactics and pledged change.

"Using taxpayer-funded mailings with political attacks -- frankly, it's got to stop. I'm tired of hearing it. It's illegal, it's wrong," Jack Martins (R) said.

"We're in a new age of technology, there are more inexpensive ways for government to get their message out. Put it on their website, put it out on Facebook, on Twitter," George Maragos (D) said.

"It has been allowed for decades, but it doesn't mean it's the right thing to do," said Laura Curran (D). "Taxpayers are fed up with seeing their money wasted for political purposes.

Nassau's district attorney, a Democrat, is calling on the county's investigations commissioner -- a Republican -- to examine, and weigh in before the election.

Nassau County's district attorney said existing laws aren't tough enough, and make it difficult to bring criminal charges for political abuses of taxpayer dollars.

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