Hempstead to vote on hiring former Bloomberg spokeswoman
The Hempstead Town Board will vote on hiring a new communications director Tuesday, March 6, 2018. Credit: Gabby Recny
The Hempstead Town Board is to vote Tuesday to hire a former spokeswoman during New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration as the town’s new communications director, officials said.
Samantha Levine, who served as deputy press secretary under Bloomberg, will be asked to help carry out Supervisor Laura Gillen’s agenda and oversee press relations for the town, according to Mike Fricchione, Gillen’s spokesman.
Levine was brought on last week, pending board approval of her position.
She takes the $160,000 position originally approved for former Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery spokeswoman Barbara Brancaccio, according to a town board resolution.
Brancaccio withdrew from the communications director position when she was unable to meet the town’s Feb. 20 start date, Fricchione said.
Levine previously oversaw Bloomberg’s communications staff from New York City’s dozen Health and Human Services Agencies for nearly three years, Fricchione said.
She also worked as communications director for The Children’s Defense Fund, Planned Parenthood NYC and NARAL Pro Choice New York, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The board is also to vote to hire a Babylon investigative firm LMGI Ltd. to investigate and conduct surveillance in the town and the town attorney’s office when the town attorney’s investigators face a conflict of interest, according to the meeting’s agenda and town officials.
During the town’s Feb. 6 meeting, Gillen had proposed hiring Kroll Inc., an international investigative firm, but the vote was tabled. At the board’s Feb. 20 meeting, Gillen said that while she was not making any allegations against the town attorney, Hempstead needed to hire an outside firm to investigate the town attorney’s office and other departments for personnel matters and conflicts of interest.
Town Attorney Joe Ra recommended the move following a dispute in his office.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
