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INCORPORATING THE WEST HEMPSTEAD BEACON VOL. 76 No. 07
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February 12-18, 2026
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Scianablo launches supervisor campaign By LUKE FEENEY lfeeney@liherald.com
Courtesy Scott Brinton
Hempstead Village board members on the dais, William Whitaker, left, tanya Carter, Hobbs and Jeffrey daniels. trustee noah Burroughs appeared on Zoom. island advocate.
Activists upset over village’s ICE cooperation Police chief cites obligation to assist
By KYANNA WIGGINS Special to the Herald
An ad hoc group of activists confronted the Village of Hempstead board of trustees during a packed public meeting at Hempstead Village Hall on Feb. 3 over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Hempstead, calling on the board to end village cooperation with the federal agency. ICE has, in recent weeks, come under increasing scrutiny following the deaths of Nicole Good, a mother of three, and Alex Peretti. Both 37 and U.S. citizens, they were shot and killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis. A line of activists, nearly all Hempstead residents, urged Mayor Waylyn Hobbs Jr. and the four trustees to act immediately, saying ICE’s surge in the village has, for months, frightened residents who worry they will be detained and potentially deported. Many said they were scared, despite their own legal status. A number of speakers noted they were particularly concerned for local
children, many of whom fear attending school away from their parents. “I’m truly scared, said Monica Diaz, a Hempstead business owner and former resident of more than 20 years. “My family is scared. We no longer come to church. We attend church on Zoom. We attended a church on Franklin Street. I can no longer do that because that’s when ICE is out.” “Fear and racial profiling are changing how people go to work, take their children to and from school, and move through their own village,” said Ashley Guardado, a mother and climate justice org anizer. “These har ms are not abstract, and they are happening today.” Guardado called on board members to clarify their stance on ICE cooperation and follow the lead of cities such as Buffalo and Jersey City that have strengthened immigration protections for local residents. “They have recognized that collaborations with ICE undermine community trust,” Guardado said. COntinued On Page 4
Joseph Scianablo, a Marine combat veteran, retired New York City police officer and former Queens prosecutor, announced his candidacy for Hempstead town supervisor last week, launching a rematch against the incumbent Republican supervisor, John Ferretti. Ferretti defeated Scianablo, a Democrat, last November. Town supervisors serve for two years, but because of a new state law that shifted all municipal elections to even-numbered years starting in 2025, Ferretti will return to the ballot this year. Scianablo argued that his campaign last fall helped bring attention to what he described as backroom deals, inflated fees and political favoritism at Town Hall. A resident of Garden City, he focused on what he views as a lack of transparency on the current Town Board. Scianablo also campaigned on easing the strain of rising costs in the township, from a 12 percent property tax hike to increases in water, power and fuel bills. Now, he said, he’s returning “to finish the job.” “I am running because the people of the Town of Hempstead deserve a government that works for them, not for a handful of insiders,” Scianablo stated in a press release on Feb. 4. “What we uncovered was only the beginning, and it makes it clear there is still more that needs to be brought into the open.” The Town of Hempstead — which encompasses Wantagh, Seaford and Levittown — is the largest township in the United States, and its supervisor is
responsible for overseeing nearly 800,000 residents across 22 villages and 38 hamlets. Ferretti was appointed interim town supervisor when Don Clavin stepped down last Aug. 5, and Scianablo filed a lawsuit alleging that Ferretti and the board violated the state’s Open Meetings Law, which requires 24 hours’ public notice for resolutions scheduled at meetings. State Supreme Court Justice Gary Carlton ruled in October that the appointment had violated the law, but his decision did not nullify Ferretti’s appointment. Scianablo’s campaign slogan is “No Community Left Behind,” a promise, he said, to provide equal service to every neighborhood in the Town of Hempstead, regardless of political influence or affluence. “Whether you live in one of the town’s most affluent neighborhoods or one that’s been ignored for years,” Scianablo said in the statement, “you deserve the same level of service, the same respect, and the same value for your tax dollars.” If elected, he said, he would prioritize exposing mismanagement, initiate an independent audit of town finances and reduce fees and water costs. “We are going to put your money back to work for you,” he said. His campaign has received the endorsement of state and Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs, who praised Scianablo’s background in military service, law enforcement and the legal system. “Joe Scianablo represents the very best of public service,” Jacobs said in a statement. “He has the courage to tell the COntinued On Page 5