Joe Scianablo for Hempstead Town supervisor

On Aug. 5, Nassau County Republicans secured control of the Town of Hempstead supervisor’s office for the rest of this year without any election, or primary, or prior public comment.

That day, Donald Clavin Jr., in his third term as supervisor, announced his resignation. Clavin was already assured of being elected Nov. 4 to a long-sought judgeship, by bipartisan agreement.

Minutes later, the Republican-run town council approved the appointment of Nassau Legis. John R. Ferretti Jr. — the choice of Nassau GOP chairman Joe Cairo — to finish Clavin’s term.

The quick switch was enabled by a 5-1 Republican majority of the board. Now Ferretti, 42, of Levittown, appears on the ballot with an incumbent’s advantage against first-time Democratic candidate Joe Scianablo, 48, of Garden City.

On Wednesday, the slick substitution of Ferretti for Clavin was found to have violated the Open Meetings Law. State Supreme Court Justice Gary M. Carlton declared that the town’s top officials “communicated secretly arranging for Ferretti to be appointed upon Clavin’s resignation.” The very purpose of the law, Carlton noted, is to require such matters to be debated and decided in public with proper notice. But the ruling, resulting from a lawsuit by Scianablo and his party, doesn’t nullify Ferretti’s incumbency since the town council subsequently did the transfer the legal way.

Now, the methods used to fix Ferretti’s ascent — and reward Clavin for the timing of his departure — showcase the contention between these two candidates.

When Clavin quit as supervisor, the town gave him a position with undefined duties at his $179,375 supervisor’s salary that was to bridge his pension and income until he was sworn in as a judge. It was a deal so exceptional that only after three weeks of requests did the town reveal a salary and title and the location of Clavin’s “workplace” — an economic development office in Roosevelt.

But that office has been closed for years, giving the sweetheart sinecure a special odor. Clavin abruptly “retired” from the town and let go of his maybe-show job. Neither Ferretti, who quit his legislative seat to serve as supervisor, nor Clavin have endeavored to explain what if anything the future judge was supposed to be doing for the town in his post as a so-called “community services representative.”

Another insider rotation was engineered. On Aug. 8, Doreen Ferretti, the new supervisor’s mother, was shifted to a new part-time job for $59 per hour at the county Board of Elections. She’d been an administrative assistant with the town.

The handling of the town’s increasing annual budget, proposed for 2026 at $576 million, thus looms large. Scianablo, in a meeting with Newsday’s editorial board, pounded away at the fact that, to show an election-year tax reduction for the general fund, the new budget would draw up to $50 million from reserves.

Scianablo attacks this as a shell game, and “100% gimmicky.” That’s a valid point.

When first announced as Cairo’s candidate, Ferretti boasted that he “never voted for a tax increase,” and “that’s the No. 1 issue for Town of Hempstead residents.”

He can say that because he was still a county legislator last year — when Clavin and the town council approved a budget that pierced the state’s tax cap with a 12.1% increase.

Ferretti’s first proposed budget is expected to be adopted Thursday. Raiding the reserve may be predetermined. Doing this to claim you’re a tax cutter before the election is not fiscally conservative, Scianablo says. We agree.

We cannot report Ferretti’s response to his opponent’s charge because he declared that he would not be interviewed by the editorial board.

Ferretti’s power advantage comes from his status as an insider, the great-nephew of former GOP party leader Joseph Mondello. Beginning in 2017, and until he became supervisor, Ferretti represented Nassau’s 15th Legislative District. The county — like the town, and his district — is a GOP domain. Previously, he was chief deputy county clerk and practiced law as an associate trial attorney with the firm of Nicolini, Paradise, Ferretti & Sabella, then based in Mineola.

For his part, Scianablo offers impressive credentials as a Marine combat veteran, former NYPD officer and a short-stint Queens prosecutor. In law enforcement he’s had a special focus on domestic violence cases, an area in which he’s been involved in aid organizations. He retired from the police department on a medical injury sustained in such a case.

Since he has not run a large organization, it’s reasonable to ask how much headway Scianablo can make in this thick political fiefdom while cutting costs. To that, he emphasizes the need for comprehensive auditing and advice from the right people. “We need to understand where our money is going,” he says.

Scianablo starts his energetic pitch for fiscal responsibility by eyeing the low-hanging fruit. He said he would seek a full accounting for how town employees’ take-home cars are used and what the fuel costs are.

Self-promoting signs and messaging could be quickly curbed. Taxpayers should be able to opt out of receiving a constant flow of unnecessary “informational” flyers, he suggests. He believes many voters ages 18-45, who are reachable electronically, simply trash the unneeded town mail.

The lack of openness and accountability displayed by Ferretti and his colleagues give Scianablo’s candidacy its rationale. The town government needs a blast of fresh air. This challenger offers the drive and earnestness to make sensible improvements.

Newsday Opinion endorses Scianablo.