Anthony Santino: Could he run again for Hempstead supervisor?

Former Republican Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino, who lost his bid for re-election to Democrat Laura Gillen in November, is making moves that could signal he intends to run again in two years.

Santino is back to making stops with GOP Hempstead Councilman Anthony D’Esposito at various community events, much as they did during the campaign.

D’Esposito, of Island Park, represents the same South Shore council district that Santino represented before he was elected supervisor in 2015.

D’Esposito last week joined Santino at the Nassau Board of Elections — although D’Esposito said he will only be a “90-percent” board employee so he can continue on the town board.

Santino also recently sent a two-page letter to his campaign donors, thanking them for their support. After listing his accomplishments in office, he noted that “many friends and supporters” have asked about his future plans.

“American history is replete with instances of candidates (Abraham Lincoln, both Roosevelts, Lyndon Johnson, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to name a few) who have fallen short in one election only to resume their careers a few years later,” Santino wrote.

“While thankfully, I don’t suffer from an ego that allows me to equate myself with any of those notables, I can assure you that I will remain active in public life in the years to come,” Santino wrote. “I look forward to having the opportunity to once again make a positive difference for taxpayers — particularly in the Town of Hempstead.

Asked if he was planning to run again, Santino said, “I have no plans; I don’t even have plans to make plans.”

Celeste Hadrick