Letter: Orange County Needs a Comptroller
To: The Editor, Tri State Lookout
On July 3, 2025, I launched a major initiative, gathering 6200 signatures to insure a referendum this November in support of an elected Comptroller for Orange County.
Our county has a nearly $1 billion budget. We have a reported $200,000,000 surplus, that is the public’s unspent money. We have a relatively high effective county property tax rate. We have had major scandals in our county’s purchasing department and IDA during the last decade. We have a county executive who engages in pay-to-play and receives large campaign contributions with entities doing business with our county.
A Comptroller manages the county’s money and reviews the county’s spending and savings. He or she will be independent of the County Executive and provide a check on executive department behavior.
No business this large would ever function without a Comptroller. Nearby counties have Comptrollers and state law authorizes our voters to create this elected position.
Once in place, our elected Comptroller will replace many functions of the currently controlled county Budget and Finance Office. While the County Executive will still develop and present an annual budget to the County Legislature for approval, he will not control the officer who monitors implementation of that budget. Rather, an independent Comptroller will play that role.
The time is right for additional accountability and transparency. I note that in response to my proposal, the county executive immediately said he needs no more eyes on him…that tells me everything I need to know and I doubt you need much more either.
Michael Sussman
Chester, NY
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I would be convinced of the necessity of a Comptroller if the writer hadn't thrown in ad hominem and potentially slanderous accusations against the current executive. Furthermore, the fact that the writer was the recent loser in an election for the position of executive erodes his credibility and makes one question his objectivity.