Nassau Legis. Carrié Solages seeks payment for stolen campaign signs

Nassau County Legis. Carrié Solages is seeking $630 from Hempstead Town in payment for campaign signs he said a town employee took down illegally in June. 

Solages (D-Valley Stream) and his reelection campaign filed a notice of claim in state Supreme Court in Mineola on September 25. 

The signs were stolen June 28 from three locations in Elmont: in front of Solages' law office at 1630 Dutch Broadway; the corner of Greenway Boulevard and Linden Boulevard; and the corner of 237th Street and Linden Boulevard, according to the notice of claim.

"The removal of campaign signs on private property by Town of Hempstead employees is another form of voter suppression and intimidation," Solages said in an interview last week. "I am appalled by this conduct and I ask concerned citizens to be vigilant and report this conduct which is a misuse of taxpayer money." 

Solages said he wants to recover the cost of the signs but is not asking that the employee be punished. 

Surveillance video footage from outside Solages' law office shows a man in a work vest getting out of a truck to remove a sign. The man's identity is unclear from the video. Solages said a police report was filed and a Hempstead official confirmed the town owned the truck.  

In an Oct. 1 letter to Solages, Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen, a Democrat, said she takes "allegations of this nature very seriously" and has opened an investigation. 

Solages, an attorney, is running for a fifth term representing Nassau's 3rd Legislative District. He faces Republican Nathan Wein.

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.