Nassau residents are still complaining about Legis. Diane Yatauro (D-Glen Cove) shutting off the microphones of Republican legislators during her first meeting as the county legislature’s new presiding officer two weeks ago.
Elmont activist Patrick Nicolosi chastised Yatauro at Monday’s legislative meeting, telling her that when she shut off the microphone of Legis. John Ciotti (R-North Valley Stream) she “shut off the voice of 40,000 people who live in Elmont.”
Though Nicolosi has been critical of Ciotti at times in the past, he said, “John Ciotti was fighting for the residents of Elmont, Valley Stream, Frankin Square. The taxpayers of Nassau County can’t afford a penny more in taxes. I want my representative to speak.”
Yatauro responded that Ciotti had gotten a chance to speak but was not waiting his turn. “It wasn’t an effort to stop any questioning,” she insisted.
Ciotti said he had been attempting to probe the costs involved with the consolidation of the Glen Cove, Lawrence and Cedarhurst sewer plants into the county’s sewer system, which was subsequently approved by the Democratic majority. “The problem was I was being shut down,” Ciotti said.
Legis. David Mejias (D-Farmingdale) jumped to Yatauro’s defense, saying the legislature expects “a sense of decorum.”
Nicolosi retorted, “Sometimes you have to fight, John wasn’t fighting for John, John was fighting for me.”
Maybe it was a coincidence, but Yatauro on Monday did not turn off any microphones.
Celeste Hadrick
Comments (2)
Bravo Pat,
Now why hasn't the Newsday editorial board ever said a thing? No mention of democracy being shut down, or the lack of financial impact of the 30 million dollar bailout to Nassau residents.
I'm sure had this been the GOP doing this, it would have been multiple editorails.
Oh geez, not this crap again.
Look, Ciotti is second only to Schmitt for speaking out of turn and spending time bloviating.
Newsday complains about the free-for-all in the nassau legislature and now that we have a presiding officer who wants order so that the process moves properly, she gets attacked.
Lets have set rules in the legislature just like there are rules in other legislative bodies. Each legislator gets 5 minutes. If he or she needs more time, the chair can grant more time or another legislator can give thier time up. Ciotti couldn't find a point if it had a big red X on it.
Yaturo needs to hand out Roberts Rules of Order and tell every legislator that that is the way it is going to be.
No more shouting matches.
No more talking over each other.
It's time to act like adults.
If Ciotti can't act like and adult, he should be punished like a child.
Oh and BTW, the mic cut-off was used by Blakeman all the time on the Democrats and not a peep from Ciotti. Even last year when Schmitt proclaimed himself presiding officer, he shut down Mejias.
Hooray for Diane Yaturo and a chance at decorum in the legislature