By Brian Bohl
GLEN COVE-Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi announced his candidacy for governor Saturday, ending months of speculation that he will contend for the Democratic nomination against New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
Standing on a podium next to his grandparents’ house, Suozzi was adamant that his qualifications as an executive surpass those of Spitzer, who had a 38 point lead in public opinion polls in December, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. Spitzer also has the support of many state Democratic Party leaders, something Suozzi pointed to repeatedly in his speech.
“My opponent will have the vote of almost every single Democratic Party boss,” said Suozzi to a group of a few hundred supporters. “He’ll have the support of almost every single Albany legislator, Albany lobbyist and Albany lawyer. And he will certainly have more money.”
Suozzi, who won a second term as county executive in November, said his experience running a large municipality with 8,500 workers should give him an edge over Spitzer when the Democratic Primary election is held Sept. 12.
“I’ve seen the polls, I’m the underdog,” Suozzi said. “My opponent is a prosecutor and I’m a chief executive. I have balanced a budget of $2.4 billion. I have worked with legislators and others to deliver real results to the 1.3 million constituents I serve.”
Many of the Nassau County Democratic legislators were on hand to lend support, sitting on stage alongside Suozzi’s family. David Mejias, 14th District-North Massapequa, said the odds are stacked against the 43-year-old former mayor of Glen Cove, but he’s seen him prevail in similar situations when he was touted as a long-shot candidate.
“Let me tell you that you can never count Suozzi out of anything,” Mejias said. “He’s the most talented public servant I’ve ever met in my life. Everyone said in 2001 that he didn’t have a chance against (former County Executive) Tom Gulotta. People have been counting him out for a long time, and that’s their biggest mistake.”
While five years ago Suozzi did become the first Democrat in 30 years to become Nassau County Executive, many experts feel pulling an upset for the gubernatorial position will be much more difficult.
“Barring something completely unforeseen, I don’t think Suozzi has any chance at all to defeat Spitzer,” Mark Landis, chairman of the political science department at the University, said. “As attorney general, Spitzer had a chance to develop state-wide name recognition, and I don’t really think Suozzi can overcome that in a mere six months. As of last month, three-quarters of New York state voters had never even heard of Suozzi.”
In order to increase his recognition to voters outside the Long Island area, Suozzi will be running what he called a reform campaign that he promised will “change the culture of Albany.” He singled out controlling Medicaid costs as a way to lower property taxes and increase affordable housing, yet he offered no specific plan for cutting into the allotted $46 billion portion of the state budget that is allocated to Medicaid.
“I will take on Medicaid fraud and anyone who stands in the way of reform,” Suozzi said.
Spitzer has also been establishing credability when it comes to reform. The 46-year-old former Manhattan assistant district attorney has taken an active role in prosecuting white collar crime, taking on securities and insurance companies for illegal transactions.
“The only thing Suozzi has going for him is a reform message, but Spitzer has a lot of credibility in that realm as well,” Landis said. “And the chaos in the Nassau legislature this past month, with Suozzi appearing to stand on the sidelines, undercuts his message that it’s a new day politically in Nassau County. So, I just see no way for Suozzi to win this one.”
A crowd of supporters greet Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi after announcing his candidacy in the Democratic primary. (Chronicle Staff Photo)