Vote on Nassau Precinct Merger Postponed

A vote that could potentially that could reduce the number of  has been postponed in the county legislature.

But the reason for the sudden delay is clouded by the hospitalization of one of the key Republican voters on the measure.

County Executive  has been postponed one week as discussions on both sides continue, county and police union officials said Monday.

Both the county and Nassau Police Benevolent Association said the vote was postponed in an attempt to find "common ground" in regards to the potential precinct merger.

"Law enforcement unions and I negotiated throughout the weekend.  Discussions were progressive," Mangano said. "Accordingly, the vote will be recessed for one week."

However, it is unlikely Mangano had the votes to pass the measure Monday. Nassau Legis. Wayne Wink, D-Roslyn, said that Legis. Joseph Belesi, a Farmingdale Republican and a former police officer, is hospitalized.

The measure likely "didn't have the votes to pass," Wink said. 

Republicans hold a 10-9 majority in the county legislature. Belesi is thought to hold the deciding vote.

PBA President Jim Carver said that his organization sat down with Nassau County officials last week and believes they will get together again today, along with the Superior Officers Association and the Nassau Detectives' Association.

The plan has the potential to affect Manorhaven, Flower Hill, Manhasset and Great Neck.  It calls for the merger of eight precincts into four. In covering North Hempstead communities, the Third Precinct precinct would remain open, and the Sixth Precinct in Great Neck/Manhasset would operate as a community policing center.  In addition, Highway Patrol units would operate out of the Sixth Precinct in the future.

"Maybe there's resolution that we can find," Carver said. "... This was just [a way] to slow everything down and give us a little time to see if we can find some common ground here. And if we can't? We can't."

Carver had  that the county was not giving enough thought to the merger and was rushing into something that could negatively change policing for the next 50 years.

Nassau Democrats have said they will block the vote on the current plan, however Republicans hold a majority. The vote is tentatively rescheduled for Monday, March 5.

Still, Wink said there was hope that that the legislature would "come up with a plan to save the county money and maintain the level of precincts in the county."

"We have to wait till we see what the administration will propose," he said.