Lafazan continues to use county resources to slam Santos, but does little for re-election

 

Josh Lafazan holding news conference about Santos in county legislative building

Nassau Democratic Legis. Josh Lafazan, who came in a poor third last year in a Democratic primary for the Congressional seat won by fabulist Republican George Santos, continues to use county resources to support his near daily news conferences criticizing Santos.

He sent out another news release on his county stationary last week to announce a news conference in the county legislative building to protest a report that Congressman Santos, who lied about his public resume, stole $3,000 from a dying service dog's Go-Fund me account -- Santos denies it.

Lafazan has repeatedly used his county office to give notice of his many news conferences against Santos.

Thursday's presser -- with one Congressional District 3 voter -- was, let us repeat: IN THE COUNTY BUILDING, not on the steps or in front of the legislative building in Mineola.

Even Newsday says Lafazan is clearly campaigning for the Congressional post he lost:

From the Point yesterday:

"Nassau County Legis. Josh Lafazan is aggressively if unofficially campaigning for the not-yet-open 3rd Congressional District — dashing around the region for anti-George Santos news conferences, trying to fundraise for his Congressional campaign account, and generally being prepared for a special election if Santos implodes."

Yet, when questioned, Lafazan says he is running for re-election this November to the county legislative District 18.

But there are little signs of a county re-election campaign.

And regardless of what political office Lafazan wants, at least one former county attorney says the use of government resources to support an election campaign is illegal whether Lafazan is running for county, state or federal office.

If Lafazan is aiming for re-election, he hasn't raised much money: State-required six-month campaign disclosure reports for all candidates in the state, local or otherwise, were due last week.

Lafazan's county committee "Josh Lafazan for Responsible Government" reports raising  $1,150 in the last six months, bringing the total in his campaign bank account to about $1,394.

He reported receiving $1,000 from RPAC of New York. which is apparently the New York State Association of REALTORS, Inc. and six $25 donations from one Bayville resident.

His Congressional campaign account is still open, but new filings are not due until the end of this month.

At the end of October, Lafazan had no cash in his Congressional campaign bank account, but $204,285 in debts. The debts allegedly do not include a mysterious loan in 2020 of nearly $100,000 in college tuition payments from a wealthy North Shore couple.

He did not disclose that loan on his county financial disclosures for two years -- not until the loan was made public and questioned by the New York Post, allegedly leaked by former District 3 Democratic primary candidate Jon Kaiman, a former North Hempstead Town supervisor, who came in second  behind the winner, Robert Zimmerman.

So is Lafazan running for re-election or for the Congressional seat?

According to former County Attorney John Ciampoli, a Republican elections lawyer, it doesn't matter.

It is illegal to use county resources to run for any election campaign, Ciampoli said again Friday, when told of Lafazan's latest news release on county stationary and press conference in the county legislative building.

"This is illegal and patently dishonest, " Ciampoli said. It is "using taxpayer dollars to promote his Congressional campaign." He questioned whether Lafazan will report those dollars as in-kind contributions on his next FEC filing.

"It is  rather ironic that the self-appointed critic to Santos is himself so ethically challnged," Ciampoli said.

Meanwhile, the Republican who barely lost to Lafazan for the District 18 seat in 2021,  Paolo Pironi filed a complaint against Lafazan last Tuesday with the Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly and the Nassau County Board of Ethics about that mysterious loan.

Paola Pironi

 He said in a news release: “I marched up the steps of the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office on behalf of my neighbors both in the 18^th Legislative District and across Long Island who are tired of corrupt, unethical politicians who will do anything for their own personal gain, even if it means breaking the law and betraying the public’s trust."

 

Pironi says he is running again for the District 18 seat, but he too has not raised any money for a new campaign.

His campaign committee has reported no activity since the end of 2021, when his balance was about $2,376 -- which is still more than Lafazan's campaign account.