DeSena says Lurvey is ‘playing politics’

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DeSena also said that individual members of the town board cannot direct department staff while day-to-day operations fall under her jurisdiction, according to New York town law. She also said she disagreed with Lurvey saying she didn’t raise objections.

“Filming a response video is an incredible act of political partisanship and is a stain on an event that the League of Women Voters have spent over 35 years building up to be the premiere nonpartisan showcase of all that North Hempstead has accomplished over the past year,” DeSena continued. “I have made my objections clear regarding your attempts at playing politics. This should be a day where we should be celebrating the many great things we’ve done together to make North Hempstead the idyllic place it is.”

A resident asked the town board during the Jan. 24 meeting if the response to the address would be available on the town’s platforms, saying it gives residents the chance to see both sides of the aisle.

DeSena said the response itself is political and was not done previously under prior administrations.

“I think it’s appropriate and I would like there to be an airing of more than one viewpoint on the state of the town,” Lurvey said at the Tuesday meeting.

Zuckerman also said he believed the response was governmental in nature, not political, and it was appropriate.

After Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s State of the County address in 2022, County Legislator Delia DeRiggi-Whitton (D–Glen Cove) issued the Democratic rebuttal. U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) issued a rebuttal to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address in 2022.