Former Hempstead Supervisor Donald Clavin retires

Former Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald X. Clavin Jr. resigned and retired from town government Thursday morning, a town spokesman said in an email.

His retirement follows weeks of questions raised since he was quietly appointed to a new job in town government on Aug. 5, less than 30 minutes after he had abruptly resigned as town supervisor.

“I have enjoyed serving the residents of the Town of Hempstead for over two decades, first as the Receiver of Taxes and subsequently as Town Supervisor,” Clavin, 56, said in a statement Thursday. “ ... After carefully considering the many career and personal opportunities with which I am presented, I have decided to resign my current position and retire from the Town of Hempstead, effective immediately.”

The New York State pension system has received an application for retirement for Clavin with a retirement date of Sept. 12, state comptroller's office spokesman Matthew Sweeney said in an email. The pension system hasn't yet calculated Clavin's pension, Sweeney said. The minimum retirement age in the state pension system is 55, according to the comptroller's website. 

Town spokesman Brian Devine said in a text that the pension system requires two weeks' notice to begin retirement and that Clavin stopped working as of Thursday and will not receive any additional pay. 

Took new job Aug. 5

For three weeks, town officials refused to disclose Clavin’s new job title and salary in the department of planning and economic development. On Wednesday, town officials announced that he was working as a community services representative at the same salary, $179,375, that he had as supervisor. Clavin was assigned to work out of the town's storefront satellite office in Roosevelt, but that office appeared to be closed for renovations.

Former Nassau County Legis. John Ferretti was appointed to fill out the remainder of Clavin’s supervisor term on Aug. 5. Clavin announced in April that he would not seek reelection in November and would run for a county judgeship.

Clavin was first sworn in as supervisor in 2020. He had previously served as tax receiver. 

Devine said in an email Thursday that although the town has an early retirement incentive in place, "Don will not take any benefit from it that he may be eligible for."

Clavin will continue to receive health care benefits from the town that any retiree with his years of service is eligible for, Devine said. In his three weeks in his new job, Clavin accrued half a day of sick leave, "but he has chosen to waive it," Devine said.

On Thursday, Ferretti praised Clavin’s work for the town.

" ... I want to thank him for the years of dedicated service that he has given to the residents of America's largest township,” Ferretti said in a statement. “He has enjoyed a distinguished and rewarding career."

Clavin’s resignation as supervisor before his term's end and Ferretti’s appointment to replace him the same day drew criticism from Democrats who alleged that the party was giving Ferretti the advantage of incumbency ahead of the fall election. 

Criticism from Democrats

Nassau County Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs said in an interview that Clavin's retirement announcement Thursday was "an admission of guilt" and showed that the Republican Party saw his continued employment in the town was "an election liability." 

"The Republicans who do these things all of the time were caught, again, ripping off the taxpayers with a no-show, nonsensical job that didn't need to exist in the first place that was assigned to an office that was shuttered and closed down," Jacobs said. He said Clavin's job was "just a payoff for Clavin stepping down early to give Ferretti the supervisor's job." 

Nassau County Republican Committee chairman Joseph Cairo criticized Democrats and Joseph Scianablo, their candidate for town supervisor, but did not respond directly to Jacobs' comments Thursday.

"It's sad when woke Democrats have candidates who are so flawed that they can't run on the issues, rather resorting to campaign distractions," Cairo said in a statement. "Hempstead town residents deserve better." 

Scianablo, a former Queens prosecutor, has sued the town over the appointments of Clavin and Ferretti, alleging it violated state open meeting laws. 

"When they thought no one was watching, they gave Clavin a $179,000 salary, the same salary he had as supervisor for no-show job at a shuttered building," Scianablo said Thursday. "What they're doing is on behalf of political insiders." 

Devine did not respond Thursday to comments made by Jacobs and Scianablo.