Oyster Bay gets new town attorney

Oyster Bay's longtime Chief Deputy Town Attorney Frank Scalera was appointed town attorney this week by the Republican-controlled town board.

Scalera, who was paid $150,000 a year as chief deputy, will earn $165,000 in the town's top legal job, according to town spokesman Brian Nevin.

The Republican leader of East Norwich, Scalera has been with the town for 17 years.


Scalera fills the position vacated at the end of December by former Town Attorney Joseph Nocella, who left  to become chief of staff for the newly elected Republican Hempstead Town supervisor Don Clavin.

Former Nassau County Attorney John Ciampoli, a longtime Republican elections lawyer, said he gave Scalera his first legal job in the late 1980s when Ciampoli had a Garden City law firm, before Scalera left to become a deputy county attorney.

"I think it's fair to say Frank Scalera is a very experienced, very bright and very capable municipal lawyer and quite deserving of this appointment, " Ciampoli said.

Newsday reported Scalera in 2013 voluntarily gave up his town car after a Democratic candidate--and Newsday-- saw GOP campaign signs in the car. The unsuccessful candidate, Christopher Briggs, filed suit against the town, which agreed to to tell its employees they are prohibited from engaging in political activity for a party or candidate during work hours and cannot use town property for that purpose, Newsday said.


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