North Hempstead supervisor race pits incumbent Jen DeSena against challenger Sean McCarthy
Despite her repeated appearances on the ballot, DeSena said some voters still may not realize she is running this year.
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One of the most closely watched town supervisor races on Long Island this year is unfolding in the Town of North Hempstead, where incumbent Republican Jen DeSena is seeking another term against Democratic challenger Sean McCarthy.
DeSena, who first won the supervisor's office in 2021 and became the first Republican North Hempstead supervisor elected in more than 30 years, is making her fourth run for the office in six years.
Despite her repeated appearances on the ballot, DeSena said some voters still may not realize she is running this year.
"There are people who still don't know that I'm on the ballot this year," she said.
The election comes after a transition to New York's law moving local elections to even-numbered years. As a result, DeSena's current term lasts just one year before voters return to the polls.
The Manhasset resident says her administration has focused on reducing costs and improving government efficiency.
"We have improved services. We have improved our parks," DeSena said.
She also pointed to her fiscal record.
"I cut taxes three years in a row. And now I've delivered two tax-freeze budgets," she said.
McCarthy, a Democrat, served 33 years with the Nassau County Police Department and currently serves as a Port Washington police commissioner. He argues that DeSena's record does not match the town's needs.
"Her point is that she's done more with less. And I would say she's done less with less," McCarthy said.
McCarthy contends that DeSena and the Republican-controlled Town Board have failed to adequately address infrastructure concerns and have brought a partisan tone to Town Hall.
"The lack of decorum at town meetings, the uneven allocation of resources, the lack of communication from supervisors office, has left a very bad taste in people's mouths," McCarthy said. "I know that I can do a better job."
DeSena rejects that characterization and argues that town government has become more transparent under the current board structure.
"We are more bipartisan than ever. I mean, for 20, 30 years, it was one party rule. So now when we have a 4-3 board, everything is coming to light. You can't hide anything in town hall," she said.
