Jennifer S. DeSena was elected the 38th Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead in November 2021 and won re-election in 2023. Before holding elected office, Supervisor DeSena was an attorney and a leader in nonprofit efforts to support family health and safety.
During her legal career, Supervisor DeSena served the public interest as an Enforcement Attorney with the Securities and Exchange Commission . Prior to joining the SEC, she worked on complex insurance coverage litigation. In addition to her legal endeavors, Supervisor DeSena served in leadership positions at several nonprofits.
She was executive director of the Manhasset Coalition Against Substance Abuse, which educated and empowered parents to protect their families from the risks of alcohol and drug use. Under her direction, the Student-Athlete Leadership Team and Set Connect youth clubs helped teach leadership skills and improve mental health among Manhasset High School students.
A longtime member of the Greater Council of Manhasset Civic Associations, Supervisor DeSena became familiar with the Town of North Hempstead’s operations long before seeking elected office.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Supervisor DeSena worked with clergy, food pantries, and other community leaders to help North Hempstead’s most vulnerable residents.
She served as an officer of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and in several ministries at St. Mary’s Church in Manhasset and was previously a board member and General Counsel for the Manhasset Women’s Coalition Against Breast Cancer.
Today, she continues to promote volunteerism for both young people and adults to improve their self-esteem and mental health.
As Town of North Hempstead supervisor, she’s overseen two consecutive tax cuts, secured millions of dollars in grant money to initiate sustainability projects and to jumpstart long-stalled park and infrastructure rebuilds, established the town’s Substance Misuse Advisory Council, and has been a vocal opponent of Albany’s attempts to circumvent local zoning laws.
What’s more, Supervisor DeSena is making significant strides in rebuilding the town’s Building Department, which, under a previous Democrat administration, was the subject of numerous resident complaints, as well as corruption investigations.
Supervisor DeSena received various accolades both before and during her time in government. The Town of North Hempstead recognized her on the May Newburger Women’s Roll of Honor in 2020.
In 2022, she was named one of the Power Women of Long Island by Schnepps Media and was an Indo-American Association for Change honoree.
Last year, Supervisor DeSena received the Friends for Good Health Humanitarian Goodwill Ambassador Award, was featured in 2023’s ‘Wonderful Women of Leadership’ by the Westbury/New Cassel NAACP, and was recognized by the New York State Senate as a Woman of Distinction
Supervisor DeSena is a graduate of Boston College and St. John’s University Law School. She resides in Manhasset with her husband, Ralph, sons Robert and Michael, and their dog, Sandy. In her spare time, she is an avid runner and triathlete.
When I first ran for office, I was regarded as a political outsider with no chance of winning.
But I did win—twice—because I spoke to what so many neighbors felt: that our taxes kept rising while services were falling and that the cost of living was pushing our families out. I was tired of seeing our children and seniors being forced to move away. I wanted to keep our communities strong and our families together.
Since then, I’ve worked tirelessly to transform town government by prioritizing transparency and results-driven accountability. Our accomplishments reflect this commitment.
We delivered the largest tax cut in our town’s history, reinvested millions in local infrastructure, and partnered with the county to improve community safety. We proved that local government can work smarter, better, and for the people. Even Forbes Magazine rated us as one of the top 15 places to live in America.
I don’t want us to lose this momentum. I ask for your continued trust, so we can continue that progress and to keep moving forward.
Top three issues and what you will do to fix them
Taxes and government efficiency remain at the top of my list. We’re all too familiar with Long Island’s affordability crisis so we must hold the line on taxes.
By increasing transparency and improving government efficiency, I was able to cut taxes for three consecutive years, reducing your town’s tax burden by 22%. That was the largest tax cut in town history and we did it with no reduction to government services. That work is ongoing and steadily improving.
Additionally, our new procurement team not only scrutinizes and negotiates every purchase, they’ve also secured new, record-breaking agreements with vendors that are bringing millions in new revenue to our town’s taxpayers. We are also successfully augmenting our grant-writing initiatives, securing millions in federal and state funds which greatly offset our local tax burden.
Public Safety and the well-being of residents are key to protecting our quality of life. I will continue to work closely with County Executive Bruce Blakeman to keep our town safe.
Over the past year, we’ve cracked down on street racing and “pirate party boats,” increased patrols near houses of worship, and even launched stricter health inspections for food trucks. In partnership with District Attorney Anne Donnelly, we’ve held safety seminars for seniors and opioid education classes for parents.
Through collaborations with Northwell Health and Catholic Health, we’ve brought residents numerous other opportunities, like free sunscreen and cancer screenings at our parks and pools, to mobile health buses visits throughout town.
We’ve matched these efforts with new leadership in our Public Safety office, and I’m proud to say that our officers there were widely recognized for their actions in several high-profile, life-saving events. Thanks to these partnerships, we remain the safest county in the U.S. I’ll continue investing in public safety and launching new initiatives to meet rising challenges at home and across the region.
We’ve made significant progress rebuilding our town’s infrastructure—and we’re not slowing down. For nearly 30 years, these critical improvements were neglected in favor of politics, harming our community. But I’m prioritizing what matters. Safer roads mean fewer accidents and faster emergency response.
Modern water and sewage systems protect public health and our aquifers. Upgraded public spaces strengthen community well-being. And infrastructure investment provides an economic boost by creating jobs, attracting businesses, and raising property values.
Under my leadership, we’ve increased road paving from just eight miles a year to over 40. We secured a $28 million deal with the MTA to replace the 127-year-old Webster Avenue Bridge and we installed a new mile-long sewer line on Plandome Road.
We launched a full-scale “Parks Renaissance”—renovating tracks, fields, pools, tennis courts, and parking lots and adding 14 pickleball courts. We also upgraded the fire department’s training area, expanded the dog park, and planted a record-breaking 1,200 trees.
And more’s coming: we’ve secured federal funding and we are moving forward with two major, keystone projects at Town Dock Park and North Hempstead Beach Park to address erosion and long-term infrastructure needs.
