Laura Gillen

Laura Gillen (born 1969) is an American politician, attorney, and former Town Supervisor of Hempstead, New York. She is a Democratic candidate for New York's 4th congressional district in 2022. The district represents nearly all of the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach in Nassau County.
Early life and education
Gillen was born in Baldwin, New York and has lived nearly her entire life in Rockville Centre. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Government from Georgetown University, and her Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law.
Career
Following her graduation, she practiced law at the firm Cahill Gordon in a securities regulation, defamation, and employment and intellectual property lawyer. Gillen participated in the firm's pro bono program, assisting victims of domestic violence. She then moved back to Long Island and joined the Westerman Ball law firm before her election as Supervisor.
Hempstead Supervisor
In 2017, Gillen narrowly defeated incumbent Anthony J. Santino for Town Supervisor, being the first woman and the first Democrat in 100 years to lead the Republican-dominated Town of Hempstead. In the 2017 general election Gillen was outspent by $1.2M dollars and won by a margin of 2,268 votes.
During her 2017 campaign for Supervisor, Gillen criticized Santino's treatment of fellow Town Board members Bruce Blakeman and Erin King-Sweeney. The two town board members took issue to a Santino proposal to restrict board members from taking more than $125,000 in outside income. While Santino denied it, the two attorneys argued that it was an attempt to throw them off the board. Blakeman would later cross party lines to endorse Gillen in October, saying “I am confident in her. I think she has the right balance of confidence, yet she has humility.”
Gillen's 2017 campaign centered around transparency, and putting an end to the slew of patronage jobs in the Town of Hempstead.
Capital Spending Plan
In May 2018, Gillen released the town's first ever five year capital plan, providing a road map for future town development. The plan included rehabilitation of a town 311 facility, reopening of a water testing lab, $160M in road resurfacing initiatives, upgrades to park facilities and drainage infrastructure.
Transparency Reform
In an attempt to offer greater transparency in the town, Gillen required the online posting of town contracts and established a law to require bidding on all professional services contracts of more than $10,000.
Bond Upgrade
Within her first six months in office, Gillen secured a Standard and Poor’s Rating Service upgrade to the bond rating of the Town of Hempstead from an A+ to an AA- with a positive outlook in June 2018. Standard and Poor's report noted the town’s “recent and projected strong budgetary performance and increased budget flexibility” and its “focus on controlling expenses through numerous internal controls,” such as the town’s “implementation of several levels of approvals for purchases, as well as inventory control to prevent extraneous purchases.” The town was also recognized for “maintaining a formal capital plan with funding sources identified.”
Campaign for Congress
On February 24, 2022, she announced her run for the Congressional seat being vacated by incumbent Rep. Kathleen Rice.
She won the primary.

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