Democratic candidate for Hempstead Town Supervisor Joe Scianablo was outside town hall again Tuesday morning, continuing to raise the alarm over the possibility of the county’s Republican Party appointing their candidate, John Ferretti, to the position, something town officials have not said will occur.
“Republicans are hoping to quietly slip John Ferretti into the supervisor seat today with a last-minute emergency resolution,” Scianablo said. “This is a rigged power grab to make Ferretti supervisor now so he can run as the incumbent until November. That’s not democracy. It’s a political scam.”
Scianablo said he chose Tuesday to speak on the matter because he believed Republican Supervisor Don Clavin was planning on resigning and appointing Ferretti during their meeting later that morning.
The change in power did not occur during the Tuesday Town Board meeting, though Democrats remain concerned it may still happen during the election. They cited the Republican practice of appointing supervisor candidates prior to elections, which is how six of the last 10 Hempstead supervisors assumed their roles.
Nicole Aloise, Democratic candidate for district attorney, joined Scianablo outside town hall Tuesday morning, telling the public she sent a letter to current District Attorney Anne Donnelly and the Hempstead Town Board about the potential for the Republican resignation and appointment. She said she was concerned about the rumored action, as it would violate Hempstead Code 21-2, which states that the deputy supervisor should fill the supervisor role if a resignation were to occur.
“Once again, we are hearing about imminent political games and the appointment of an unelected supervisor. When this has happened in the past, we have seen the misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars on mailers, advertisements, and other shameful self-promotion that is clearly in the interest of promoting that appointed supervisor and not in the interest of the taxpayer,” her letter reads. “That cannot happen again.”
Clavin has not publicly indicated that he will resign nor has the county Republican Party or Ferretti’s campaign publicly indicated that Ferretti will be appointed. The town released a statement condemning Scianablo’s Tuesday press conference during the board meeting.
“Today’s press conference is nothing more than another cheap political stunt by Joe Scianablo, and a hypocritical one at that, given his silence over the longstanding practice of political appointments to the town board by the former Democrat majority in the Town of North Hempstead,” said Brian Devine, the communications director for the Town of Hempstead. “Supervisor Clavin, on the other hand, is focused on his day-to-day work as supervisor of America’s largest township.”
There is no connection between Scianablo and North Hempstead. He does not live there and has never run for office in that town.
Scianablo and Ferretti found themselves vying for the Hempstead seat in April after Nassau Democrats tapped Scianablo, a former NYPD officer and veteran, to run for the postition after the previously nominated Democrat, Justin Brown, and current Republican incumbent, Don Clavin, unexpectedly dropped out of the race. During the same time, Republicans nominated Ferretti, a Nassau County legislator, to compete for the open seat in the upcoming November election.
On June 19, Scianablo’s campaign said it had heard from what they called credible sources that Clavin planned to resign at some point before the November election and appoint Ferretti to the role, allowing Ferretti to run as an incumbent. The Nassau County Democratic Party called Clavin’s rumored resignation and Ferretti’s appointment “an anticipated scheme” in a statement.
On that day, Scianablo floated an ethics reform bill that would prevent county parties from appointing candidates to the role prior to the election. He said this would benefit the town regardless of whether Republicans planned to appoint Ferretti in this instance.
The Hempstead supervisor election will take place on Nov. 4.
