Nassau employee's use of work email to promote Blakeman rally questioned

An employee in the Nassau County Attorney's Office sent a mass email from her government account in an apparent attempt to mobilize other county workers days before dozens of women wearing red occupied the legislative chambers to denounce Seth Koslow, a legislator from Merrick who is running against incumbent Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman. 

The email has prompted inquiries from county Democrats on whether the Blakeman campaign used municipal resources — staff and official government email — for political activity.

"Ladies attending please wear something the color red ... Blouse or sweater, jacket, slacks," Diana Catapano, assistant to the county attorney, wrote in the message, sent after 4 p.m. on Oct. 17. The email also included the date, time and place of Monday's meeting of the full legislature.

Newsday obtained a screenshot of the email on Wednesday after criticism erupted over whether the public comment period of a legislative meeting was the appropriate place for Blakeman supporters to speak on a campaign issue. The event gave the appearance of a counterprotest to one Koslow supporters held an hour earlier outside the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building in Mineola. 

Newsday is withholding the identity of the source who received the email for fear of retribution. It was unclear how many of the employees in receipt of the email attended Monday's legislative meeting. The majority of the names on the email list were employees in the county attorney's office. 

County Attorney Thomas A. Adams, a former state Supreme Court justice, was among Blakeman's first appointees after he won the November 2021 election. He too was included in the email. 

The county's code of ethics states: "No officer or employee of the County shall use the resources of the County in furtherance of his or her business, professional or political interests or activities." Violating the code of ethics could result in fines or even termination, according to the county's Code of Ethics.

Democratic Legis. Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D-Glen Cove), the minority leader, on Wednesday called on the county's inspector general to investigate whether the email was sent at the direction of the Blakeman administration.

In a letter addressed to Legis. Howard Kopel, the presiding officer of the county legislature who runs the bimonthly meetings, DeRiggi-Whitton said she "remained concerned" that Kopel "knowingly allowed" or was "otherwise complicit in permitting this unlawful political rally." 

Blakeman spokesman Chris Boyle told Newsday on Wednesday "a few overly enthusiastic supporters of the County Executive sought to show their support." 

"While their intentions were well-meaning, we have since spoken with them to ensure that the lines between public service and self-expression remain clear," Boyle wrote in a text statement in response to Newsday's inquiries. 

Blakeman in his reelection bid has put out campaign ads aimed at portraying Koslow, a defense attorney, as anti-law enforcement. Some of those ads have drawn on a published paper Koslow wrote in 2013 as a student at Touro Law Center exploring whether federal and state laws protecting rape victims ought to be updated.

The issue came to a head on Monday with Koslow supporters rallying outside the county executive and legislative building in Mineola.    

But inside the legislature building, about 100 women dressed in red gathered to support Blakeman. They held signs that read, "Seth Koslow: Women desire to be raped" and "Koslow puts rapists’ rights ahead of women’s rights."

"I've spent my career fighting for women's safety and the toughest punishments for sexual violence," Koslow said through a spokesman. "Nassau County deserves better than a coward (Blakeman) who exploits survivors to try and save his political skin."

As the first speaker took the podium, Democrats on the dais objected. "I honestly don’t think this is the right forum for a political rally," DeRiggi-Whitton said.

Kopel replied, "Look, people can come and talk about whatever they want."

Over the next hour, six people spoke against Koslow and in support of Blakeman.  Two were government employees, Glen Cove Mayor Pam Panzenbeck and Hempstead Town Attorney Heather Crosley, and another two were candidates running on the Republican ticket in next month’s election, Nassau legislative candidate Kayla Knight and Glen Cove city council candidate Ellen Pantasakos. 

"I stand before you today requesting, no, demanding, that the [Democratic] minority withdraw their support for legislator Koslow, whose words and beliefs have no place in public service," Knight said. 

After public comment, the legislature spiraled into chaos, with Blakeman’s supporters heckling DeRiggi-Whitton and Legis. Arnold Drucker (D-Plainview) for accusing Republicans of turning the legislature into a political rally.

"That’s not what we’re about," Drucker said. "We don’t turn our sessions into political rallies inside this chamber."

 The final six minutes of the 2½-hour meeting were spent on Nassau’s legislative agenda. 

Newsday's Bahar Ostadan contributed to this story.