Democrat Joe Scianablo announced his campaign for Hempstead town supervisor on Tuesday, Feb. 3, a rematch from last November’s election against Supervisor John Ferretti.
Scianablo said his legal actions against the town last year exposed political favoritism, and that in this election cycle, people can see he has held politicians accountable.
“No community left behind” will be a central theme of his campaign, and if elected, he hopes to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, instead focusing on transparency, lower taxes and infrastructure, Scianablo said in an interview.
“We started something last election cycle. I didn’t realize the amount of waste, fraud and abuse that was really going on behind the scenes in the Town of Hempstead, and we saw them willfully, intentionally, knowingly break the law. We held them accountable for it,” Scianablo, 48, said. “There’s more work to be done in rooting out and exposing the mismanagement that continues to hurt families in the Town of Hempstead.”
Scianablo, a Marine combat veteran, former NYPD officer and Queens prosecutor, ran against Ferretti in the last election.
Ferretti ran as an incumbent in the 2025 election after being appointed to the seat during the race following the sudden stepdown of the previous supervisor, Don Calvin.
The controversial move led to a lawsuit from Scianablo, which alleged that town officials violated the Open Meetings Law, which requires 24-hour public notice of all planned political appointments.
A state supreme court judge ruled that town officials had violated the law, but ruled that they were not in contempt of court for failing to appear at a hearing, and said that Ferretti was not required to vacate the seat.
Scianablo said he intends to center the people of Hempstead in his campaign and will avoid political favoritism in leadership.
The campaign, for us, is simple: expose the mismanagement, then wage war on abuse,” he said. “We’re going to audit, financially and operationally, and then we’re going to repair these broken systems that haven’t benefited the public and have only benefited the political insiders.”
He said the campaign will release a full platform in the coming weeks.
Originally from Floral Park, Scianablo has two children, Sofia and Joseph, and lives in Garden City with his wife, Sara.
His time as a Marine, with two peacetime deployments and combat experience in Iraq in the early 2000s, gave him valuable experience in logistics and a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving, Scianablo said.
“Those types of character and leadership traits that I learned in the Marine Corps have carried with me through all my subsequent careers,” he said.
He said after his time with the Marines, he joined the NYPD, where he focused on domestic violence. At 41, he pursued a law degree, which he said gave him the opportunity to pursue further advocacy work in the domestic violence space.
Town and party officials released statements in response to Scianablo’s candidacy.
Jay Jacobs, the chairman of the New York State and Nassau County Democratic Party, endorsed Scianablo in a statement.
“He has dedicated his life to protecting others – in uniform, in law enforcement, and in the courtroom, and he brings that same integrity and commitment to this campaign,” Jacobs wrote. “Joe has the courage to tell the truth, the experience to lead, and the determination to deliver real results for the people of Hempstead. He’s the leader Hempstead needs to move forward.”
Joseph Cairo, Jr., chairman of the Nassau County Republican Committee, released a statement backing Ferretti.
“The Nassau County Republican Committee is confident that Hempstead Town neighbors will again elect John Ferretti supervisor in 2026,” Cairo wrote. “John Ferretti has delivered meaningful tax relief, making life more affordable for all residents.”
“Supervisor John Ferretti has made life more affordable for residents by cutting town taxes by millions of dollars, and he will continue to work tirelessly to keep our community the safest in the nation,” Brian Devane, Hempstead’s communications director, said.
