Laura Gillen

Laura Gillen (born 1969) is an American politician, attorney, and former Town Supervisor of Hempstead, New York. She is a Democratic candidate for New York's 4th congressional district in 2022.[1] The district represents nearly all of the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach in Nassau County.

Laura Gillen
Personal details
Born1969 (age 52–53)
Baldwin, New York, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationGeorgetown University (BA)
New York University (JD)

Early life and education

Gillen was born in Baldwin, New York and has lived nearly her entire life in Rockville Centre. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Government from Georgetown University, and her law degree from the New York University School of Law.

Career

Following her graduation, she practiced law at the firm Cahill Gordon in a securities regulation, defamation, and employment and intellectual property lawyer. Gillen participated in the firm's pro bono program, assisting victims of domestic violence. She then moved back to Long Island and joined the Westerman Ball law firm before her election as Supervisor.

Hempstead Supervisor

In 2017, Gillen narrowly defeated incumbent Anthony J. Santino for Town Supervisor, being the first woman and the first Democrat in 100 years to lead the Republican-dominated Town of Hempstead.[2] In the 2017 general election Gillen was outspent by $1.2M dollars and won by a margin of 2,268 votes.[3]

During her 2017 campaign for Supervisor, Gillen criticized Santino's treating of fellow Town Board members Bruce Blakeman and Erin King-Sweeney.[4] The two town board members took issue to a Santino proposal to restrict board members from taking more than $125,000 in outside income. While Santino denied it, the two attorneys argued that it was an attempt to throw them off the board.[5] Blakeman would later cross party lines to endorse Gillen in October, saying “I am confident in her. I think she has the right balance of confidence, yet she has humility.”[6]

Gillen's 2017 campaign centered around transparency, and putting an end to the slew of patronage jobs in the Town of Hempstead.[7]

Capital Spending Plan

In May 2018, Gillen released the town's first ever five year capital plan, providing a road map for future town development. The plan included rehabilitation of a town 311 facility, reopening of a water testing lab, $160M in road resurfacing initiatives, upgrades to park facilities and drainage infrastructure.[8]

Transparency Reform

In an attempt to offer greater transparency in the town, Gillen required the online posting of town contracts and established a law to require bidding on all professional services contracts of more than $10,000.[9]

Bond Upgrade

Within her first six months in office, Gillen secured a Standard and Poor’s Rating Service upgrade to the bond rating of the Town of Hempstead from an A+ to an AA- with a positive outlook in June 2018. Standard and Poor's report noted the town’s “recent and projected strong budgetary performance and increased budget flexibility” and its “focus on controlling expenses through numerous internal controls,” such as the town’s “implementation of several levels of approvals for purchases, as well as inventory control to prevent extraneous purchases.” The town was also recognized for “maintaining a formal capital plan with funding sources identified.”[10]

Campaign for Congress

On February 24, 2022, she announced her run for the Congressional seat being vacated by incumbent Rep. Kathleen Rice.[11]

References
  1. "Laura Gillen announces campaign for Congress in 4th District". Herald Community Newspapers. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  2. Dazio, Stefanie Dazio; Asbury, John "Surprise win for Democrats in Hempstead supervisor race" Newsday November 8, 2017 https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/hempstead-supervisor-election-santino-gillen-1.14846053 Archived 2021-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Surprise win for Dems in Hempstead race". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  4. "Laura Gillen Responds To Supervisor Santino's State Of The Town". Long Island Weekly. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  5. "Newsday endorses Gillen for Hempstead supervisor". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  6. "Blakeman crosses party lines, endorses Gillen for town supervisor". Herald Community Newspapers. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  7. "Newsday endorses Gillen for Hempstead supervisor". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  8. "Town's capital plan includes 311 system". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  9. "Newsday endorses Gillen for Hempstead supervisor". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  10. Genn, Adina (2018-06-18). "Standard & Poor's upgrades Hempstead Town bond rating | Long Island Business News". Retrieved 2022-03-16.
  11. Smollins, Mike "Rockville Centre's Laura Gillen discusses her run for Congress" LI Herald March 3, 2022 https://www.liherald.com/rockvillecentre/stories/rockville-centres-laura-gillen-to-run-for-congress,138914 Archived 2022-03-03 at the Wayback Machine
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.