Laura Gillen has $758,600 and Donald Clavin $238,000 for Hempstead supe race
Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen leads Donald X. Clavin Jr., the town tax receiver, in campaign funding. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Democratic Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen has $758,600 on hand for her re-election campaign, while GOP challenger Donald X. Clavin Jr., the town tax receiver, has $238,000, campaign finance reports show.
From mid-January through mid-July, Clavin received 945 contributions totaling $263,400, while Gillen received 292 contributions totaling $357,600.
Gillen campaign spokesman Michael Ousley criticized Clavin's report in a news release, saying more than 40 percent of the tax receiver's individual contributions came from town workers. Gillen has pledged not to take contributions from town staff.
“A town employee should never feel like their job depends on making contributions to a corrupt political machine,” Gillen said in a statement.
Clavin campaign spokesman Michael Deery said Clavin was “proud to have the support of town employees.” Deery continued, “We think it demonstrates who the employees would prefer to work for.”
Many of Gillen’s contributions came from the real estate, construction and development industries, the filings show. She received $5,700 on Jan. 24 from four members of the Posillico family, which runs Farmingdale-based construction and development companies.
Gillen’s largest contributions from individuals included $25,000 from Diana Riklis of Manhattan.
Donald Clavin, Republican candidate for Town of Hempstead Supervisor, poses for a portrait at Nassau GOP headquarters in Westbury on Thursday, March 21, 2019. -- slVOTE -- Credit: James Escher
Clavin’s largest individual contributions included $10,000 from Jerry Weiss of Loudonville, an Albany lobbyist and attorney.
Clavin also received $800 from Ana-Maria Hurtado and $1,500 from Gregory Becker, two former commissioners of the town’s Department of Occupational Resources. The Nassau County district attorney is investigating a department contract signed by Hurtado that created post-retirement jobs for Hurtado and two other former department officials.
Clavin returned Hurtado’s contributions, the disclosures show.
Clavin countered that Gillen received a $5,000 contribution in 2017 from Marisa A. Lizza, of Oyster Bay, who has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from Oyster Bay corruption investigations. Gillen filings show she returned Lizza's contribution in July 2017.
The State Board of Elections website did not show filings for Libertarian supervisor candidate Diane Madden.
The election is Nov. 5.
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