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Community Corner

Organized Labor backs Santino for re-election

Long Island Federation of Labor endorses Town of Hempstead Senior Councilman’s re-election


Town of Hempstead Senior Councilman Anthony J. Santino received the endorsement of the Long Island Federation of Labor, the umbrella organization for over 200 local unions representing over 240,000 members.

“I am truly honored to have the backing of the Long Island Federation of Labor and its member unions representing over 240,000 workers on Long Island,” said Councilman Santino.  “Working with Supervisor Kate Murray, I have always fought for the working families and seniors of America’s largest township and will keep fighting for the middle class,” added Santino.

“We are confident that [Councilman Santino] shares with us a common vision about the future of Long Island.  Good jobs, with decent pay and benefits, are the basis of a stable, middle class lifestyle.  That is something we can achieve together.  The Long Island Federation of Labor looks forward to working with him to build opportunities for the next generation, to live and work here on Long Island in safe, prosperous communities,” Long Island Federation of Labor President John R. Durso stated in a letter informing Santino of the labor group’s endorsement.

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“Our endorsement means that we will reach out to our affiliated local unions and urge them to communicate with their members on behalf of the campaign,” wrote Long Island Federation of Labor Executive Director Roger Clayman.

Santino’s record of working to create jobs in the Town of Hempstead also helped secure the endorsement.  Over the past four years, Councilman Santino has made sure America’s largest township stays big on big business.  Santino has helped clear the way for billions in investors’ contracts with local developers.  Santino voted to:

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  • approve the opening of Hofstra Medical School; create an unprecedented mixed-use development zone, the most dense in Hempstead Town’s history, to pave the way for Nassau County to develop the Nassau HUB;
  • create the Equity One development at the Galleria at Westbury Plaza;
  • establish unprecedented transit-oriented development zone to encourage new residential housing options;
  • begin work on a state-of-the-art $6 million Recreation Center to accommodate year-round programs at Camp ANCHOR at Lido Beach Town Park;
  • complete countless streetscape projects to revitalize local business areas; and
  • reconstruct the Grand Canal in Bay Park that installed state-of-the-art bulkheads to combat shoreline erosion that was complimented by refurbishments around the canal’s perimeter.

The major endorsement from the Long Island Federation of Labor comes on top of Councilman Santino securing three lines – Republican, Conservative and Independence – for re-election.

Councilman Santino is part of the town ticket led by Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray and Nasrin Ahmad who is running for Town Clerk.  Town of Hempstead Councilmatic District 4 includes the communities of Barnum Island, Bay Park, East Rockaway, Harbor Isle, Hewlett, Hewlett Bay Park, Hewlett Harbor, Hewlett Neck, Island Park, Lynbrook, Oceanside, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Woodsburgh and portions of Cedarhurst, Malverne, North Lynbrook, Woodmere and Valley Stream.

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