Laura Gillen makes her first ‘hire:’ a rescue puppy named Luna
Hempstead Supervisor-elect Laura Gillen. Credit: Newsday / J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Incoming Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen has filled her first town position — with a new rescue puppy named Luna.
“No pay, no benefits, just a lot of love,” Gillen said Wednesday.
Gillen said the puppy, a four-month-old lab-terrier mix, was her first campaign promise fulfilled to her four children.
During the rigor of the campaign, her husband Chris promised the dog to her kids if Gillen won the election.
The promise mirrored President Barack Obama’s promise to his children during his first presidential campaign.
“I was originally not party to the discussion,” Gillen said. “My husband said, ‘If mommy wins, you can get a puppy.’ On election night, I think 50 percent of the joy was for me and 50 percent was for the dog.”
Gillen, 48, of Rockville Centre, is in the midst of her transition to serve as the first Democratic Hempstead supervisor in more than a century after her upset defeat of Republican Supervisor Tony Santino.
Gillen said she wanted to reward her family for their patience and support during the campaign.
“We both have new jobs. My job is to take care of the Hempstead and their job is to take care of the puppy,” Gillen said. “We have a lot to be thankful for.”
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.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
