Candidate Profile: Don Clavin For Town Of Hempstead Supervisor

HEMPSTEAD, NY — Election Day is fast approaching and Patch is giving you a look at the candidates on the Nov. 2 ballot.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin seeks his second term. Democrat Jason Abelove is the challenger.

Patch asked Clavin where he stands on important issues affecting the community. Here are his responses.

Don Clavin

Age (as of Election Day)

52

Position Sought

Supervisor, Town of Hempstead

Party Affiliation

Republican

Family

Wife, Nancy and three children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Sister Virginia Clavin Higgins is Village Justice for the Village of Valley Stream

Education

Doctor of Jurisprudence, Hofstra University School of Law
Bachelor of Arts, Canisius College

Occupation

Supervisor, Town of Hempstead (2020- )
Receiver of Taxes, Town of Hempstead (2001-2019)
Attorney

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Supervisor, Town of Hempstead (2020-)
Receiver of Taxes, Town of Hempstead (2001-2019)

Campaign website

Donclavin.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

To further the good government agenda during my first term as Supervisor, as I worked with a bipartisan Town Board to freeze town taxes in 2021, while cutting town taxes in 2022. Demonstrating the highest regard for taxpayers, we have frozen and cut taxes, while making major investments in roadways and infrastructure improvements, as well as parks upgrades. During my administration the Town of Hempstead received two credit rating upgrades from major Wall Street credit rating agencies, Moody's Investor's Services and Standard and Poor's, a testament to the fiscal management and budgeting practices under my administration. I look forward to working to provide residents with tax relief, top-notch services and facilities, and enhanced quality of life.

Also, as COVID-19 continues to impact residents, I will continue to work with my Town Board colleagues to implement programs and provide assistance to neighbors and business owners as they navigate the ongoing pandemic. The Town of Hempstead will continue to be a leader in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, as we've utilized federal funds for residents for several key initiatives, including, the establishment of the state's first mobile vaccination unit (providing over 7,000 vaccines to date); thousands of free COVID-19 tests; millions of meals served to residents in need; financial aid to hospitals, villages, schools, fire departments and other front-line entities and community organizations and delivering thousands of free PPE kits to small businesses and non profits. In addition, I look forward to furthering our innovative improvements to town government, as we created the first online portal for Building Department services, established the region's first outdoor dining initiatives to help struggling business owners, implemented "Operation Clean Sweep" to keep business districts and neighborhoods pristine, established the "Pothole Patrol," to enhance roadway safety and quality of life and introduced an array of new parks and senior citizen programs and facility upgrades, amongst many other initiatives.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Tax relief remains at the top of my priorities. I froze town taxes for 2021 and I am working on a tax cut for 2022. In addition, I slashed the Supervisor’s staff spending by half, saving taxpayers $1 million annually and eliminated take-home cars. In addition, under my leadership, the Town of Hempstead will continue to be a leader in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, as we established the region's first outdoor dining initiative to help struggling restaurant owners and utilized federal funds for providing direct aid to hospitals, villages, fire departments and other front-line entities; establishing New York's first mobile vaccination unit, providing over 7,000 free COVID-19 vaccines to residents; implemented mobile COVID-19 testing locations, resulting in thousands of free COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody tests; serving millions of meals provided to residents in need through pop-up food banks and home food delivery programs; delivering masks and PPE kits to small businesses and community organizations; partnering with the United Way of Long Island to provide hundreds of free air filtration units for vulnerable senior citizens; and more key programs and community partnerships.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

As Town Supervisor, I have demonstrated a commitment to working collaboratively with a bipartisan Town Board to deliver tax relief, enhance quality of life, and provide direct assistance to residents and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. What's more, I've followed through on my campaign promises, including my commitment to increase the town's investment in roadway improvements, implementing facility upgrades and cutting the Supervisor's staff budget in half, by $1 million.

How do you think local officials performed in responding to the coronavirus? What if anything would you have done differently?

Leading America’s largest township during a pandemic, I am proud of the work we have done as a team, working alongside my colleagues on the Town Board to utilize millions in federal funds to provide direct community aid and with a dedicated CSEA Local 880 workforce providing uninterrupted essential services. During the pandemic, we have served over a million meals for residents in need through pop-up food banks and home food delivery services; delivered thousands of PPE kits for businesses; established New York’s first mobile vaccination unit (the “Vaxmobile”), resulting in over 7,000 vaccines administered to date for town residents; provided thousands of free COVID tests for the public, as well as testing programs for essential workers and first responders; air filtration units for senior citizens; allocated grants to hospitals, schools, fire departments, colleges and universities, villages, libraries and other front-line entities; and partnered with the United Way of Long Island to provide free air filtration units to vulnerable senior citizens.

Thanks to the dedication of our hard-working CSEA Local 880 workforce, all Town services have remained open during the pandemic. We even expanded our offerings to provide safer and convenient options for residents, including new online building department services, expanded drive-thru tax payment booths and outdoor service kiosks at Town Hall. We even created provisions for outdoor dining to help restaurants cope with the impact of the COVID pandemic. We will continue to work to help residents and business owners through this ongoing pandemic.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

At the Town of Hempstead, we are freezing and cutting taxes, but also doing more for our residents. Working with the bipartisan Town Board, we are making significant investments in improving town parks and infrastructure across America’s largest township. Indeed, through a comprehensive capital improvement plan, we have invested $75 million in roadway improvements in 2020 and 2021 and have put $10 million into upgrades at community parks throughout the Town of Hempstead.

In addition, we will continue to be a leader in helping residents and business owners navigate the ongoing pandemic, as we are always working to find new programs and initiatives to tackle the financial and health impacts of COVID-19. From providing over 7,000 COVID-19 vaccines, thousands of PPE kits and masks to local businesses and millions of meals – to supporting the establishment of mobile units to reach children and senior citizens in the hardest-hit communities, we stand ready to do more to provide more ways to support our communities during this time.

The environment is also a priority, as I announced the Town of Hempstead’s Vision 2040, a plan to transform America’s largest township to a fully electric fleet within the next two decades. We’ve taken the first steps by piloting one of the nation’s only electric garbage vehicles, and with the purchase of two fully electric vehicles being utilized by the Department of Conservation and Waterways. Putting taxpayers first, enhancing quality of life, protecting our environment and investing in our facilities, roadways and communities are just some of the many important platforms of my campaign.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I am proud of what we accomplished during my two years as Hempstead Town Supervisor. Amid the pandemic, I crafted two budgets with the highest regard to the taxpayers of America’s largest township. The 2021 budget froze town taxes, and the 2022 budget will cut taxes – while continuing to maintain services and enhance facilities and roadways. In addition, we delivered direct community aid to our communities, utilizing $133 million in federal CARES money secured thanks to Senator Charles Schumer – which has helped residents navigate the ongoing pandemic through financial aid to front-line entities, free COVID-19 tests and vaccines, millions of meals to address food insecurity and so much more.

In addition, we established the region’s first outdoor dining initiative to help struggling business owners. Our focus on downtowns, providing PPE to small businesses, promoting revitalization projects with brick-paved walkways and Victorian lighting as well as the establishment of the “Operation Clean Sweep” program to keep business districts pristine are just some of the ways my administration’s work to help promote our local economy and support our small businesses and communities.

During my previous role as Receiver of Taxes, I embraced innovation and technology as we were the first municipal tax office in NY state to issue e-Bills, and the first in the region to establish an autopay feature. I brought that legacy of innovation to the Supervisor’s office as I worked to modernize town government, specifically in the Building Department. During the height of the pandemic, we brought Building Department Services online for the first time, which streamlined and vastly improved the application process, making the department modernized and more efficient. In addition, we were the first in New York State to unveil a mobile vaccination vehicle, in partnership with Mount Sinai South Nassau, providing over 7,000 COVID-19 vaccines to residents. Modernizing town government is an ongoing commitment and I look forward to furthering our progress.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

As I prepared for my role as Hempstead Town Supervisor, I immediately reflected on the wise advice imparted by my late mother Rosanna and father Donald, dedicated public servants who always reminded me of the importance of working together and listening to the people. I entered office with the mindset that I would work together with my colleagues on the Town Board to present a budget that puts taxpayers first, while providing top-notch services, enhancing facilities and roadways, eliminating unnecessary spending and embracing innovation. The key phrase is “working together.”

Working collaboratively with the bipartisan Town Board has resulted in positive change in America’s largest township when taxpayers need it the most, including the adoption of a tax-freeze budget in 2021, while working together on a tax-cut budget for 2022 and instituting major improvements town parks and roadways and direct pandemic relief to our communities.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

On Day 1 in office, I followed through on my promise to slash $1 million from the Supervisor’s budget. I then delivered on a commitment to eliminate take-home cars for top managers. In fact, I don’t drive a Town car – I drive my personal vehicle with over 200,000 miles on it. These symbolize my commitment to our taxpayers, and I will continue to work to provide superlative services at the lowest cost, offer top-notch programs and enhance our communities and quality of life.