Nassau GOP picks Legis. John Ferretti Jr. to run for Hempstead Town Supervisor
Nassau Legis. John Ferretti Jr. (R-Levittown) speaks during a session of the county legislature chamber in Mineola. Credit: Jeff Bachner
The Nassau Republican Committee on Thursday selected John Ferretti Jr., a four-term county lawmaker, to run for Hempstead Town supervisor in November after incumbent Donald X. Clavin Jr. declined to run for reelection.
Clavin, who is finishing his third term in the role, will instead run in November for a judgeship on the Nassau County Court, where criminal cases are heard. He is cross-endorsed by the county's Republican and Democratic committees, Newsday reported earlier in the week.
With Ferretti's selection, the parties' picks to succeed Clavin in the November general election are set: Ferretti, 41, of Levittown, is expected to face the Democrats' nominee, Joseph Scianablo, 47, of Garden City. Scianablo is a retired NYPD officer and former prosecutor in the Queens County District Attorney's Office.
Nassau Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo announced Ferretti's nomination Thursday at committee headquarters in Westbury on Post Avenue. Nassau Democrats had announced Scianablo's selection earlier in the week.
“He’s a proven, successful official, he’s loved in Levittown and his district,” Cairo said in an interview after a news conference announcing the selection. “He’s a man who goes out, a candidate who’s with the people. ... He’s a regular guy.”
Ferretti said he is confident in his chances: “Never voted for a tax increase, that’s the No. 1 issue for Town of Hempstead residents," he said in an interview.
Clavin was the town's longtime receiver of taxes before voters elected him supervisor in 2019 over Democrat Laura Gillen, of Rockville Centre. Gillen, now a U.S. representative in New York's 4th District, was in 2017 the first Democrat elected Hempstead supervisor in more than a century, Newsday reported at the time. Clavin declined an interview request after the news conference.
Scianablo, in an interview, criticized Republicans for the Hempstead town board's decision last fall to raise the tax levy by 12.1% for 2025 and bump Clavin's salary 2.5%. Clavin is the highest-paid elected town official on Long Island this year with a salary of $179,375, Newsday has reported.
Democrats on Thursday sought to tie Ferretti to the tax hike issue. Scianablo said Ferretti was "complacent with Republican leadership ... These increases are negatively affecting the quality of life of all the people living in Nassau County."
The Hempstead supervisor's race reset entirely on Monday after both parties' candidates declined their respective nominations. Justin Brown was Democrats' original pick, but he also withdrew from the race on Monday.
Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state and county Democratic committees, said Republicans will face an electoral "challenge" given the tax hikes.
"That's the reason Clavin's not running," Jacobs said in an interview. "I think there's a price to [be] paid at the ballot box when you do that ... I feel very good about our chances in the election."
Jacobs added that the race will be "be a referendum on Republican management, or mismanagement, in Hempstead and throughout the county. I think they're going to have a very tough election year."
Ferretti on Thursday pitched himself as a leader who will lower taxes, fight antisemitism, uphold the county's ban on transgender women competing in women's sports leagues and maintain funding for the police.
"I'm proud to have supported capital plans that provided our law enforcement agencies with the tools they need not just to keep their communities safe, but to keep themselves safe," he said during the news conference.
Cairo spoke in sports metaphors to describe Ferretti's qualifications: "You've got to have somebody who has heart ..." he said in an interview, as he pounded a fist to his chest for emphasis. "You want the kid who says 'put me in coach.' He didn't say those words, but he's got heart."
Cairo on Thursday did not announce a candidate to run for Ferretti's seat in Nassau's 15th legislative District. Republicans hold a 12-7 majority in the Nassau County Legislature.
With Ted Phillips
The Nassau Republican Committee on Thursday selected John Ferretti Jr., a four-term county lawmaker, to run for Hempstead Town supervisor in November after incumbent Donald X. Clavin Jr. declined to run for reelection.
Clavin, who is finishing his third term in the role, will instead run in November for a judgeship on the Nassau County Court, where criminal cases are heard. He is cross-endorsed by the county's Republican and Democratic committees, Newsday reported earlier in the week.
With Ferretti's selection, the parties' picks to succeed Clavin in the November general election are set: Ferretti, 41, of Levittown, is expected to face the Democrats' nominee, Joseph Scianablo, 47, of Garden City. Scianablo is a retired NYPD officer and former prosecutor in the Queens County District Attorney's Office.
Nassau Republican Chairman Joseph Cairo announced Ferretti's nomination Thursday at committee headquarters in Westbury on Post Avenue. Nassau Democrats had announced Scianablo's selection earlier in the week.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Nassau Republicans have selected Legis. John Ferretti Jr. (R-Levittown) to run for Hempstead Town Supervisor. The Democrats' nominee is Joseph Scianablo, a former prosecutor and NYPD officer.
- Clavin will run for Nassau County Court, where criminal cases are heard. He is cross-endorsed by the Nassau County Republican and Democratic committees.
- Ferretti pitched himself as a tax-cutter, but Democrats sought to tie him to Republicans on the town board who approved a 12.1% hike in the town tax levy in this year's budget.
“He’s a proven, successful official, he’s loved in Levittown and his district,” Cairo said in an interview after a news conference announcing the selection. “He’s a man who goes out, a candidate who’s with the people. ... He’s a regular guy.”
Ferretti said he is confident in his chances: “Never voted for a tax increase, that’s the No. 1 issue for Town of Hempstead residents," he said in an interview.
Clavin was the town's longtime receiver of taxes before voters elected him supervisor in 2019 over Democrat Laura Gillen, of Rockville Centre. Gillen, now a U.S. representative in New York's 4th District, was in 2017 the first Democrat elected Hempstead supervisor in more than a century, Newsday reported at the time. Clavin declined an interview request after the news conference.
Scianablo, in an interview, criticized Republicans for the Hempstead town board's decision last fall to raise the tax levy by 12.1% for 2025 and bump Clavin's salary 2.5%. Clavin is the highest-paid elected town official on Long Island this year with a salary of $179,375, Newsday has reported.
Democrats on Thursday sought to tie Ferretti to the tax hike issue. Scianablo said Ferretti was "complacent with Republican leadership ... These increases are negatively affecting the quality of life of all the people living in Nassau County."
Race reset
The Hempstead supervisor's race reset entirely on Monday after both parties' candidates declined their respective nominations. Justin Brown was Democrats' original pick, but he also withdrew from the race on Monday.
Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state and county Democratic committees, said Republicans will face an electoral "challenge" given the tax hikes.
"That's the reason Clavin's not running," Jacobs said in an interview. "I think there's a price to [be] paid at the ballot box when you do that ... I feel very good about our chances in the election."
Jacobs added that the race will be "be a referendum on Republican management, or mismanagement, in Hempstead and throughout the county. I think they're going to have a very tough election year."
Ferretti on Thursday pitched himself as a leader who will lower taxes, fight antisemitism, uphold the county's ban on transgender women competing in women's sports leagues and maintain funding for the police.
"I'm proud to have supported capital plans that provided our law enforcement agencies with the tools they need not just to keep their communities safe, but to keep themselves safe," he said during the news conference.
Cairo spoke in sports metaphors to describe Ferretti's qualifications: "You've got to have somebody who has heart ..." he said in an interview, as he pounded a fist to his chest for emphasis. "You want the kid who says 'put me in coach.' He didn't say those words, but he's got heart."
Cairo on Thursday did not announce a candidate to run for Ferretti's seat in Nassau's 15th legislative District. Republicans hold a 12-7 majority in the Nassau County Legislature.
With Ted Phillips
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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