Deadline for political mailers in Hempstead Town
Friday was the last day Hempstead Town candidates could mail out "important" messages on the taxpayers' dime before next November's election, according to the town's revised ethics code.
Some Republicans thought they were going to catch Supervisor Laura Gillen, a Democrat who is seeking re-election to a second term, violating the rules when they saw the town print shop working on flyers this week that tout Gillen's economic initiatives. They predicted that Gillen would have to destroy the material rather than bend the rules.
But Gillen spokesman Michael Fricchione scoffed at the rumors.
"We printed pieces for Laura to hand out at her upcoming community budget meetings and for local street fairs and that type of thing, but all of them will be used and nothing is being destroyed," Fricchione said in an email. He said he wasn't surprised at the Republican gossip.
"Everyone who works down in the mail room, including their supervisors and supervisor’s supervisors are all staunch Republicans and its been that way since we entered office."
Gillen was the first Democrat in a century to be elected supervisor in the Republican-controlled town when she defeated incumbent Supervisor Anthony Santino two years ago.
Past Republican supervisors were known for their many mailings on topics seemingly unrelated to town government, such as a cartoon-like flyer for children on what to expect when they went to the dentist.
In January, Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs criticized Republican Hempstead Town Tax Receiver Don Clavin for abusing taxpayer dollars for political purposes in a mailing about the county's reassessment.
Clavin, who is challenging Gillen for supervisor this fall, has been a non-stop critic of the reassessment, blasting what he says is the county's failure to explain the process to homeowners. The mailing asked the county executive to hold public forums on reassessment.
Fricchione, too, criticized Clavin for "frivolous spending on mail." He said "only a few thousand" of the Gillen pieces were printed "as opposed to the approximately 225k that would be required for a town-wide mass mailing."
He added, "Feel free to give Clavin and his ilk my # if they would like it clarified."
Neither Clavin nor a Republican spokesman could be reached for comment.
Some Republicans thought they were going to catch Supervisor Laura Gillen, a Democrat who is seeking re-election to a second term, violating the rules when they saw the town print shop working on flyers this week that tout Gillen's economic initiatives. They predicted that Gillen would have to destroy the material rather than bend the rules.
But Gillen spokesman Michael Fricchione scoffed at the rumors.
"We printed pieces for Laura to hand out at her upcoming community budget meetings and for local street fairs and that type of thing, but all of them will be used and nothing is being destroyed," Fricchione said in an email. He said he wasn't surprised at the Republican gossip.
"Everyone who works down in the mail room, including their supervisors and supervisor’s supervisors are all staunch Republicans and its been that way since we entered office."
Gillen was the first Democrat in a century to be elected supervisor in the Republican-controlled town when she defeated incumbent Supervisor Anthony Santino two years ago.
Past Republican supervisors were known for their many mailings on topics seemingly unrelated to town government, such as a cartoon-like flyer for children on what to expect when they went to the dentist.
In January, Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs criticized Republican Hempstead Town Tax Receiver Don Clavin for abusing taxpayer dollars for political purposes in a mailing about the county's reassessment.
Clavin, who is challenging Gillen for supervisor this fall, has been a non-stop critic of the reassessment, blasting what he says is the county's failure to explain the process to homeowners. The mailing asked the county executive to hold public forums on reassessment.
Fricchione, too, criticized Clavin for "frivolous spending on mail." He said "only a few thousand" of the Gillen pieces were printed "as opposed to the approximately 225k that would be required for a town-wide mass mailing."
He added, "Feel free to give Clavin and his ilk my # if they would like it clarified."
Neither Clavin nor a Republican spokesman could be reached for comment.
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