Laura Gillen has raised $107,000 since election as Hempstead supe

Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen’s reelection campaign has raised $107,028 in the two months since her election as the town’s first Democratic supervisor in more than a century, new campaign finance reports show.

Gillen’s largest donor since December was RXR Realty CEO Scott Rechler, who contributed $10,000 on Dec. 21 and hosted a Jan. 8 fundraiser for Gillen in Roslyn Harbor. She has raised $30,600 since the fundraiser.

Rechler is leading redevelopment of the Hub area around Nassau Coliseum, and is a partner in a proposed $2 billion renovation of Hempstead Village’s downtown.

The new filings show Gillen’s campaign spent $4,200 for her Jan. 1 inauguration ceremony at Hofstra University. She said she wanted to hold a separate ceremony from the town’s swearing-in to be open to the public at no taxpayer expense.

“Laura Gillen is proud of the broad base of support she is receiving while she gets to work, moving the Town of Hempstead in a new and transparent direction,” Gillen’s campaign said in a statement Friday. “Everyone is clearly excited for the fresh start.”

Republican Anthony Santino, whom Santino defeated in November, collected a total of $6,700 in small donations since his election defeat, adding to his campaign’s closing balance of $277, 099, his new reports showed.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.