Hempstead Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. resigns, John Ferretti Jr. sworn in during board meeting

Hempstead Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. resigned during Tuesday's town board meeting and the board appointed Republican John Ferretti Jr. to succeed him.

Ferretti, until Tuesday a Nassau County legislator from Levittown, is the Republican nominee for supervisor in November's general election. Clavin is not seeking reelection to a fourth term and is instead running with cross-endorsements for a Nassau County judgeship. He will continue to work for the town in the department of planning and economic development, according to spokesman Brian Devine. Devine did not respond to questions about Clavin’s salary and title.

Democrats quickly criticized the appointment, saying it gives Ferretti an unfair edge in the general election. 

After the meeting began, the board called a recess to amend a resolution on the agenda. About 30 minutes later, the board returned and Clavin announced his resignation.

"I want to say what an honor and a privilege, and a friendship all of you have been," Clavin said. "And to the residents who've always been very kind to me, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve all of you. Even the critics have been the nicest people in the world to me."

Boos and cheers

Clavin, a Republican serving as supervisor since 2020, in April made official that he would not seek a fourth term. Ferretti, a county legislator since 2018, faces Democrat Joe Scianablo, of Garden City, a former prosecutor and police officer, in the November general election.

The meeting continued with Deputy Supervisor Dorothy Goosby, the lone Democrat on the town board, running the meeting.

After the regular meeting business concluded, Councilman Thomas Muscarella introduced a motion to appoint Ferretti. There were boos and cheers, and the board approved the appointment. Goosby abstained.

Ferretti was sworn in as the left side of the room chanted “Elections! Elections!” and the right side chanted “Ferretti! Ferretti!”

Ferretti then took Clavin’s seat, and during the meeting, multiple speakers decried the appointment.

Ferretti did not engage with speakers, many of whom expressed outrage at his appointment, other than to say “thank you” and call upon the next person.

Dem pick protests

Scianablo also addressed the board and Ferretti.

“We want elections instead of selections; they don’t,” Scianablo said. "This is the problem: Career politicians taking care of themselves before the people.”

Ferretti, who did not respond to interview requests, said in a statement that he would budget responsibly, invest in parks and infrastructure and prioritize public safety. “By working hard every day, I will reaffirm my pledge of dedication to the residents of Hempstead Town and will continue to lead with transparency, integrity, and a tireless focus on the issues that matter most to our families, seniors, and future generations.”

Clavin's work for the town will include a housing project for veterans that is “close to his heart,” Devine said in his statement.

While town officials declined to provide Clavin's salary, Mike Deery, a spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee, told Newsday: “I am told he is on the town payroll."

Appointments criticized

Jay Jacobs, Nassau and state Democratic chairman, said hiring Clavin to continue working for the town after resigning was “not appropriate at all.”

“This is what the Republicans do,” Jacobs said. “It's the same old shenanigans over and over again when voters in Hempstead are scratching their heads to figure out why their taxes went up 12% this year, this is another example,” he said, referring to the town board's decision last fall to hike the 2025 tax levy 12.1%.

For weeks, Nassau County Democrats had been urging the board against appointing Ferretti supervisor should Clavin resign. They said doing so would give him an unfair edge, and the resources of the town government, in the months leading up to the election. 

The town has featured Ferretti prominently in official mailings and publicity since he became the party's nominee in the spring. His photo and name appeared on all four pages of the town’s full-color July newsletter. His portrait is now on the town's website.

For decades, the Nassau GOP has filled vacancies on the Hempstead Town Board by appointing officeholders months before the election, Newsday reported on Monday. Republicans have accused Democrats of doing the same with vacancies when they were in the majority.

Before becoming supervisor, Clavin was the town's receiver of taxes from 2001 until 2020.