How strong is the support for Republican candidates on Long Island? Apparently valuable enough for the party’s headliner to hold a rally at Nassau Coliseum last week, filling the arena and its surrounding parking lot.
“What the hell do you have to lose?” former president Donald Trump asked the crowd. “Look at what’s happening. Businesses that are fleeing, money draining out of your state, and hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants sucking your public resources dry.”
Among the warm-up speakers who preceded Trump at the podium was Rep. Anthony D’Esposito. Having narrowly won his seat two years ago, he was asked whether it was wise to campaign alongside Trump in a district that Biden won four years ago. “Why? Because I want Donald Trump to make our economy stronger. I want Donald Trump to secure our border. I want Donald Trump to restore SALT.”
The last item is a priority among suburban lawmakers, who would like to see their constituents’ federal taxes reduced as they pay most of their taxes for state and local needs. New York’s Fourth Congressional district, which D’Esposito represents, covers the Nassau Coliseum, and the sizable Jewish communities of the Five Towns, West Hempstead, Oceanside, and Long Beach.
In his first run for federal office, he overcame a slew of accusations relating to his service in the NYPD, when he was subject to complaints about improper force and unlawful search, leaving his gun unattended, and moonlighting in a nightclub. In a message of opposition to the Biden administration and the state Democratic Party’s perceived weakness on combating crime, voters in this district respected D’Esposito’s background as a former cop, volunteer firefighter, and town lawmaker.
So far, his Democratic opponent Laura Gillen’s talking points related to abortion, her opponent’s loyalty to his party, and the same allegations that appeared in the 2022 election about his past. From my viewpoint as a constituent living in a Republican-leaning community, I do not feel that rehashing last election’s talking points is a winning formula. When Gillen speaks about her experience, she should connect it to the race at hand.
One such example is combating corruption and nepotism. Seeking to boost his image as a moderate, D’Esposito spoke proudly of being endorsed by the CSEA, the union representing Town of Hempstead employees. The rare backing of a Republican by a labor union was in retaliation for Gillen’s lawsuit to limit the Republican-led Town Board’s power to hire, raise wages, and prevent layoffs. She argued that many of the jobs were the results of political loyalty rather than qualifications.
Earlier this week, The New York Times published the latest example of such hiring, laying it at D’Esposito’s feet. It noted that his father, the president of the Republican Club in Island Park, served as chief of staff to the Town Supervisor while his mother was a secretary to the town’s highway commissioner, his brother as a conservation official, and his sister-in-law worked in the town’s tax receiver’s office. Following his election in 2016 to the Town Council, D’Esposito also worked in the Nassau County Board of Elections, which apparently is not a conflict for an elected official.
The latest allegations relate to D’Esposito hiring his mistress and his fiancée’s daughter to work in his district office. House rules prohibit members from hiring individuals with whom they are romantically involved. The rule includes family members such as siblings, parents, in-laws, and stepchildren.
D’Esposito denied that his staff hiring violated ethics rules, striking back at the source of the story.
“The latest political tabloid garbage being peddled by The New York Times is nothing more than a slimy, partisan ‘hit piece’ designed to distract Long Islanders from Democrats’ failing record on border security, the economy, and foreign policy,” D’Esposito said in a statement to the New York Post.
“My personal life has never interfered with my ability to deliver results for New York’s Fourth District, and I have upheld the highest ethical standards of personal conduct,” the former NYPD detective added. “Voters deserve better than The Times’ gutter politics.”
I shared this story with a couple of my Republican neighbors in West Hempstead to see if it would sway their vote. “What about Eric Adams? He’s full of corruption,” one replied. I conceded that my party is not immune from high-profile examples, but the difference lies in how its members respond.
In contrast to the lockstep loyalty of Republicans to their party’s incumbents, within Adams’ office, there have been whistleblowers and resignations, and seemingly with each passing week there are more contenders lining up to challenge him in a primary. Similarly in New Jersey, longtime Sen. Bob Menendez stepped down after pressure by Gov. Phil Murphy and a primary challenge by Rep. Andy Kim.
For Jewish voters, Menendez was a reliable ally, being one of only two Senate Democrats to approve of Trump appointing David Friedman as Ambassador to Israel in 2017. Likewise, Mayor Adams has also been outspoken in support of Israel and visible at Jewish events throughout the city.
“I’ve been in Israel as a state senator, I protected the community of the City in general but specifically the Jewish community as a police officer,” he said at a rally last October following the Hamas attack on Israel. “I stood with you as borough president. And now I’m here today to say: Not only am I the chief executive of this city, but I’m your brother. I’m your brother. Your fight is my fight.”
With Comptroller Brad Lander, an outspoken leftist, as his leading primary opponent, along with former comptroller Scott Stringer, and State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, and no viable Republican contender who can win the race for mayor, Jewish voters in the city are standing by Adams – if not by reason of loyalty, then for lack of a better option.
D’Esposito has also been a steadfast ally of Israel and a visible supporter of the Jewish community in combating anti-Semitism on college campuses, calling out anti-Semites, supporting legislation and funding for Israel, counter-terrorism, and border security. From my experience, his staff has been responsive to constituents, answering their calls and questions relating to federal matters. In the past two years, he spoke at shuls, yeshivos, and dinners held by our community.
Nevertheless, when serious allegations arise, our sense of ethics should be taken into account. Do we want a government that hires based on personal connections or qualifications? As a city worker, I earned my position by applying and then passing a civil service exam. I have no family members or close friends working at my department, nor do I have the power to hire my wife, brother, or cousins to work at my agency.
In his pitch for a second stint at the White House, Trump promises to shake up the federal bureaucracy with a mass firing fit for a reality show. Public workers are expected to carry out their employers’ policies, but at the same time their positions should be the result of hiring open to all members of the public, subject to review based on their experience, qualifications, and performance.
By Sergey Kadinsky
