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Friday, August 25, 2023
Vol. 72, No. 34
N E W H Y D E PA R K
SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
TOWN COMPTROLLER RESIGNS SUDDENLY
BLAKEMAN SAYS NO MIGRANTS IN COLISEUM
PAGES 21-28
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GOP mailers turn local races nasty early
I N D I A I N D E P E N D E N C E D AY
Republican state committee targets Democrats Lafazan and Kaiman BY C A M E RY N O A K ES With a little more than two months before the Nov. 7 election, campaigns have begun to heat up as a series of mailers – targeting both Democrat and Republican candidates – have been sent out to homes locally. The main candidates targeted through these mailers are the two Town of North Hempstead Supervisor candidates, incumbent Jennifer DeSena and Jon Kaiman, as well as Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (D–Woodbury) – who is running for re-election in District 18 and in the race for New York’s Third Congressional District in 2024. A mailer produced by Kaiman’s campaign claimed that DeSena runs a “negative campaign” and is backed by anti-choice and pro-gun conservative and Republican parties. The mailer states that she “defines herself on day one throwing dirt, lies, and smears,” alongside a photo of her with Rep. George Santos (NY-03) with a quote expressing her support for the embattled representative. The reverse side of the mailer includes supportive claims for Kaiman’s candidacy. With a statement at the top
that “Democrats choose honors, integrity and experience.” It’s followed by initiatives that Kaiman has achieved during his tenure in politics, political offices he has held over the past 25 years and issues supported on his platform. DeSena provided a statement to Blank Slate regarding the mailer from Kaiman’s campaign targeting her. “Jon Kaiman is a ‘serial tax-hiker’ who voted himself a massive taxpayerfunded salary increase, and he presided over one of the most corruption-riddled towns in the history of municipal government,” DeSena said. “He can run to Suffolk for his latest taxpayer-funded job, but he can’t hide from his shameful record as supervisor.” Kaiman also fell subject to a series of political mailers paid for by the New York Republican State Committee, which claimed he was soft on crime and presided over corruption while he previously served as North Hempstead’s supervisor. Included on one of the mailers is a list of where they sourced their information, attributing it to local news sources and legal case documents. Continued on Page 41
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD
The Town of North Hempstead hosted an Indian Independence Day celebration at Town Hall in Manhasset.
Democratic slate opens H.Q. in Great Neck BY K A R I N A KO VA C The Democratic Party headquarters for Town of North Hempstead and Nassau County candidates located at 169 Middle Neck Road in Great Neck has officially opened its doors, ushering in a new phase of campaign activities for the upcoming elections in November. The event brought together a lineup of Democratic candidates, including Jon Kaiman, Veronica Lurvey,
Christine Liu, Peter Zuckerman, Mariann Dalimonte and Weihua Yan. Each in attendance gave updates on their campaigns to canvassers and residents alike and made pledges to better serve the community. At the forefront of the Democratic ticket stands Kaiman, former North Hempstead town supervisor from 2004 to 2013. Kaiman reflected on the challenges that faced the nation during the previous town election and underscored the need for responsible
governance in tumultuous times. He said the previous election was a reflection of what was going on around us. “And so we know that we have to take this seriously. We know that we can’t take anything for granted. We know that good people in the Democratic Party know how to lead, we can be trusted, we have experience. We have the roots that show that we understand what our community wants.” Continued on Page 40