Town of Hempstead Supervisor
Description:
Candidates (choose 1):
Donald X. Clavin, Jr.
Party: REP, CON, IND, TRP
Biographical Info:
Campaign Web Site: https://donclavin.com
Campaign Email: info@donclavin.com
City/Town of Residence: Garden City, NY
Questions:
Q: What do you consider are the most important two issues facing the town at this time?
A: As Receiver, I’ve helped thousands of taxpayers reduce their taxes through assessment challenges and money-saving property tax exemptions. The number one issue that taxpayers discuss is the tax burden and cost of living in the Town of Hempstead. That inspired me to run for Hempstead Town Supervisor on September 28, 2018, which was the day that current Supervisor Laura Gillen proposed to hike town taxes by millions. Our taxpayers need relief, and I will achieve that on Day 1 in office by slashing the Supervisor’s $2 million staff budget in half. The second most important issue is the town’s crumbling infrastructure, specifically the dilapidated roads, which are in need of major capital investment if the township is to avoid dangerous conditions that will put motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians at risk.
Q: What do you plan to do to make our town government more transparent and efficient?
A: My administration will be the most open and transparent municipal government anywhere. Eliminating “take-home” vehicles for exempt employees (aka appointed officials) is an important step in removing an entitlement that taxpayers should not have to fund. Placing financial disclosures online for governmental managers will help restore trust in governmental managers. I will be calling for the resignation of all Commissioners and department heads, prompting a thorough review of job performance, as I seek the “best and brightest” governmental managers to run municipal operations. Finally, I am seeking a complete overhaul of the township’s building department, permit application process and building codes to provide clarity, transparency and fairness to residents and developers alike. Hempstead Town will be a model of openness and transparency under Don Clavin.
Laura Gillen
Party: DEM, WFP
Biographical Info:
Campaign Phone: (516) 362-6853
Campaign Web Site: https://lauragillen.com
Campaign Email: laura@lauragillen.com
City/Town of Residence: Rockville Centre
Prior Civic Service: Town Supervisor is my first elected office. Prior to that I volunteered at South Nassau Communities Hospital, Camp Anchor, GMHC, and Mother Teresa’s home for the dying.
Questions:
Q: What do you consider are the most important two issues facing the town at this time?
A: The two most important issues facing the town at this time are corruption and fiscal irresponsibility. I am taking on the corrupt Republican machine that’s wasted the town of Hempstead taxpayers’ money for decades on government jobs and contracts for political insiders. The prior two supervisors raised Town taxes over $90 million with little to show for it, except patronage spending. My opponent supported these tax hikes. I am eliminating waste fraud and abuse in Town Hall. As town supervisor, I have cut wasteful spending. I cut the budget for my own staff, making it the leanest supervisor’s office in recent town history. I have saved taxpayers millions by eliminating wasteful contracts and have restored over twenty million dollars to the town’s rainy-day fund. I have also made an unprecedented investment in finally reconstructing our aging infrastructure and roads.
Q: What do you plan to do to make our town government more transparent and efficient?
A: On day one, I began my quest to finally let sunlight into Town Hall and let residents have access to information shielded from them for decades. For example, when I came into office, town contracts, and other financial documents were all kept, unscanned, in boxes. This was shocking, as we are the largest Town in America and had been operating in the stone age. One of my first directives was to get every contract scanned and posted online. Now, the details of all town contracts are posted on our website for anyone to review. I am making sure town hiring and taxpayer-funded contracts are based on competence, not connections. I also got legislation passed to mandate that professional service contracts are solicited through an open and competitive process that allows anyone to compete to do business with the Town. I will continue the work I have begun to modernize the Town, improve efficiencies, post-civil service jobs so all can apply – not just insiders, and engage residents.
Diane Madden
Party: LBT
Biographical Info:
Campaign Phone: (516) 526-0426
Campaign Web Site: https://dianemadden.net
Campaign Email: hope4dogs@optonline.net
City/Town of Residence: East Meadow
Prior Civic Service: For 18 years I have been advocating on behalf of the Town of Hempstead Shelter animals and taxpayers funding the budget.
Questions:
Q: What do you consider are the most important two issues facing the town at this time?
A: 1) Water It’s difficult to narrow down the many issues facing our town at this time however toxic drinking water can create a public health risk. My belief is that this issue cannot be resolved by the same individuals who’ve allowed it to happen. My goal as Supervisor would bring in non-politically driven Environmentalists (on my administration) to recommend steps and begin the process of purifying our water along with outside oversight of all funds related to accomplishing this. The process would be including periodic public reports. 2) Taxes As Supervisor I would bring in non-politically driven experts for each department to oversee everything fiscally related re spending, budgets, contracts. There would be a point person responsible on each issue to 1) establish faith in government 2) review/make recommendations/provide quarterly public reports. If I discovered that my administration was politically inclined to prioritize a party over the people I would immediate ask for resignations
Q: What do you plan to do to make our town government more transparent and efficient?
A: Our government will never self-correct. If that were the case, taxes wouldn’t be outrageous, drinking water would not be contaminated, roads wouldn’t be dangerous, and residents would not be fleeing. The most effective means to make government transparent and efficient is to do what no other Hempstead Town Supervisor nor candidate has ever done before and that is to bring in (on an Administrative level) OUTSIDE, INDEPENDENT, non-politically driven proven experts to oversee each department and issue of top public concern and integrity. Secondly, to provide research and recommendations to board of all findings and facts. Government will never reform itself on the current two-party system and that is proven when residents look all around them. We need outsiders, non-politically driven placed on the INSIDE, not at arm’s length, having a proven record of knowledge and experience with no agenda other than to create good government policies and prioritize the public over any political party. Lastly, I will be calling on the current town attorneys’ resignation due to conflicts in that office as well as interference in investigations, hiring practices and failure to adhere to the town’s own laws. For the public to regain faith in government will require the input, authority and transparent factual findings of all operations, policies and current laws related to Hempstead Town. The experts I will appoint as Supervisor “The People’s Administration” will also serve as referees between the two parties battling for power, jobs and control over public welfare providing recommendations based on facts as well as solutions for the board to reflect on and consider. All findings and recommendations will be posted online, and the public will be provided on the town’s sites and opportunities to respond, Skyped into public town board meetings via projectors.
