Candidate Profile: Laura Gillen For 4th Congressional District

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, NY — Election Day is right around the corner, and among the races on the ballot is the 4th Congressional District. Voters will choose between incumbent Republican Anthony D'Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen, the former Town of Hempstead Supervisor. Gillen lost to D'Esposito in 2022.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will publish candidate profiles as election day draws near. Here are their answers, lightly edited for clarity.

Name: Laura Gillen
Campaign website: lauragillen.com\
City or town of residence: Rockville Centre, NY
Office sought: United States House of Representatives, New York’s Fourth Congressional District
Party affiliation: Democratic
Education: Georgetown University, BA; NYU School of Law, J.D.
Occupation: Attorney
Family: Husband and four children
Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No
Age: 55
Previous public office, appointive or elective: Town of Hempstead Supervisor

Why are you seeking this office?
As a mother of four, I know first-hand the challenges Long Island families face. I wantLong Island to be a place where our children can grow up, get a good education, and buy a home. Sadly, rising costs and high taxes are driving an affordability crisis. Washington has failed to address these issues and the current Congress has been the least productive since the Civil War. Nothing is getting done.

Anthony D’Esposito has failed to deliver for us. He has had a seat at the table for two
years, and he has spent the entire time blaming problems on others instead of fixing
them. Worse, recent reporting revealed that instead of focusing on helping us, he has
been focused on helping himself.

As Hempstead Town Supervisor, I went into work each day with a good government agenda, focused on how I could deliver the best results for all residents. Through disciplined fiscal policies that took aim at waste and corruption, I was able to consistently reduce taxes. Working with a Republican-controlled Board, I was able to refinance the Town’s debt to save millions of dollars, pass ethics reforms, enact the first multi-year capital spending plan and other important legislation. I will bring that same bipartisan philosophy to this broken Congress to deliver for all residents of the Fourth Congressional District.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this
post?
My opponent has aligned himself with the most extreme members of his party and the
votes he has taken do not align with the values of this District. He voted to defund
federal law enforcement and he voted to cut funding for veterans affairs, Meals on
Wheels, Social Security Administration offices, and cancer and Alzheimer’s research,
among other crucial programs. He applauded Gov. Abbott for sending 40,000 migrants
to New York. He has consistently voted against reproductive freedom. He has
humiliated our District with recent corruption scandals and took our taxpayer dollars to
give to his family, friends and lovers. He is not working for us, he is working for himself.

Conversely, I believe that government is about public service, not self-service. I have an independent and serious record of results. As Town Supervisor, I passed sweeping, bipartisan ethics reform to eliminate the waste, patronage and nepotism my opponent continues to peddle. In this campaign, I called on the Biden administration to work with Republicans to add personnel and infrastructure to our Southern border and reimburse New York taxpayers for the costs we’ve borne due to the migrant crisis. I spoke out against the bail reform law when it was passed by Albany. I have been an independent voice for the people of the District.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?
Cost of living, including healthcare and restoring our SALT deduction, securing the
border, preserving reproductive freedom, and supporting Israel against the aggression
and war-mongering of Iran and its terrorist proxies.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this
job?
As Hempstead Town Supervisor, I saved taxpayers money. Taxes went down for two
consecutive years under my administration. We passed the town’s first five-year capital
plan to improve infrastructure, roads and parks. I passed legislation mandating
competitive bidding for contracts, ending much of the “pay-to-play” that existed in the
Town of Hempstead for 100 years. I also passed long-overdue ethics reform legislation
to take aim at corruption and waste. And I did all this with a Republican-controlled
Board.

What problems facing your district would you look to solve if you are elected/re-elected?
My top priorities for this district are addressing the affordability crisis, securing our
border, protecting our reproductive freedoms, increasing our resilience to future storms
that threaten our communities, and standing with Israel.

Cancer is a prominent health issue for Long Islanders and is a leading cause of death
for children. What measures would you take to help lower cancer rates and bolster
research in the field?
In Congress, I will work to ensure the National Institute of Health and other federally-funded research programs have the funding they need to develop new cancer treatments. I will also work with state and local partners to ensure residents have clean drinking water.

What would you do to help small businesses struggling with inflation and the cost of
goods needed to manufacture their products?
Small businesses are still struggling with high product costs and supply chain problems
post-pandemic. I will work to eliminate corporate price gouging and restore our supply
chain. I will also ensure that we are providing the support, information, and resources
necessary to help local businesses thrive.

Water quality is critical to the region. What plans do you have to help improve water
quality and keep it safe for generations?
As Supervisor, I fought to protect our water. I sued chemical manufacturers for polluting
our drinking water and resurrected our water testing lab. In Congress, I will work with
our State and local partners to improve needed infrastructure to provide clean drinking
water.

How can the immigration crisis be addressed at the federal and local level? Can federal
and local officials work together?
Our immigration system has been broken for decades. Congress is the body
empowered to overhaul our immigration law. On day one in Congress, I will work to
advance a bipartisan approach to send personnel, technology, personnel and
infrastructure to secure the border and legislation to fix the broken asylum system.
These policies will diminish drug trafficking, curb illegal crossings, and allow for swift
application of the law.

In addition, Washington must work with New York officials to compensate our
municipalities for the cost of the migrant crisis and to ensure schools are not used for
migrant housing.

What can be done about inflation, which some say can be attributed to price gouging?
I understand the pain of high prices that we are all feeling. We should rein in corporate
price gouging and build on Medicare’s newly established authority to negotiate prescription drug prices in order to minimize medication costs. We also must work in a bipartisan manner to address other high costs associated with healthcare and education.

The median cost of renting on Long Island falls between $2,000 and $3,100. How can
more affordable housing options be created?
We have to ensure that our children can afford to live here and eventually buy a home
here. We must ensure seniors can stay in their homes and aren’t driven to move
because of high costs. We should increase our housing stock to reduce prices. We
should do this in partnership with local government and civic organizations to maintain
the suburban character of our communities.

What is your stance on SALT (State and Local Tax Relief)?
We are facing an affordability crisis. The loss of the SALT deduction is a big reason we
have less money in our packets. Long Islanders are paying a double tax. Donald Trump
axed this deduction with his 2017 tax law, and D’Esposito has failed to restore it. He has
been in the House majority for two years and has failed to even get SALT restoration up
for a vote. In Congress, I will work with Democrats and Republicans to restore our SALT
deduction.

What needs to be done to keep Long Island streets safe from crime?
We must fully invest in our police departments so they have the resources they need to
do their jobs. I will work with local and federal law enforcement to address and monitor
all threats, including combatting retail theft and drug trafficking.

The federal government also must provide resources to our local departments through
partnerships and grants. Unfortunately, my opponent has voted to cut them, including
slashing funding for bulletproof vests, sexual assault forensic exams, and hundreds of
local police positions.

The DWI/DWAI rate is escalating island-wide. What measures can you fight for, to address the escalating addiction crisis?

Our young people are facing mental health and addiction crises. I support increasing
resources for mental health and addiction treatment services– too many Long Islanders
are suffering. I will also work with nonprofit groups that provide this care to increase
access.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Approach each day with gratitude.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?
I am the proud mother of four children, worked for Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and am a
certified professional divemaster.