The apparent rewarding of family members and associates of county officials with patronage jobs and county contracts has been endemic to Nassau County dating back to the reign of former county Republican leader Joseph Margiotta. Famous for rewarding loyalty by recommending party supporters for political patronage jobs on municipal payrolls, Margiotta served as a mentor to such successful Nassau Republicans as former U.S. Sen.

Alfonse D’Amato and current state Senate Majority Coalition Leader Dean Skelos. Multiple sources with knowledge of Nassau County politics maintain that D’Amato enjoys a good relationship with Mangano. Campaign finance disclosure reports show that D’Amato contributed $2,500 to Mangano’s campaign in 2011. According to a Newsday report, wellknown Republican Party supporter Robert McBride, the vice president of D’Amato’s lobbying firm, Park Strategies, held a fund-raiser for Mangano at his home in Hicksville in 2011.

Later that year Veolia Transportation, a company represented by Park Strategies, won a large contract from the county to run Long Island Bus. Veolia subsequently donated $4,790 to Mangano’s campaign in 2012. In April 2013, a report from the Joint Commission on Public Ethics named Park Strategies the highest-grossing lobbying firm on Long Island.