By Hank Russell
A series of political advertisements put out by Nassau County Legislator Arnold Drucker’s opponent contains “completely fabricated, false, and defamatory” statements, according to an attorney.
Gallub-Pravato described herself on her Facebook page as a “working mom running for Nassau County Legislator” whose platform consists of tax cuts, fighting antisemitism and hate crimes, supporting law enforcement and investing in infrastructure. Drucker, who was first elected in 2016, currently serves on the Finance, Public Works, and Health & Social Services committees, and is the ranking member on the committees for Planning, Development, & the Environment and Government Services & Operations, according to his website.
On October 22, Jared S. Behr sent a cease-and-desist letter on behalf of Drucker (D-Plainview) to the legislator’s Republican challenger, Jennifer Gallub-Pravato, the New York Republican State Committee and the Nassau County Republican Committee. The letter states that Gallub-Pravato is desperately trying to link Drucker to Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, who is running for New York City mayor.
“Mr. Drucker does not share a platform with Mr. Mamdani,” Behr wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by Long Island Life & Politics. “He has never met Mr. Mamdani before. The assertion is completely fabricated, false, and defamatory.”
Among the claims made by Gallub-Pravato’s campaign include:
- Drucker is planning to place a homeless shelter in Jericho. The mailer cited the Jericho News Journal as the source, but, according to Behr, the date of publication was not mentioned, adding it was a “knowingly false, completely fabricated, and defamatory statement.”
- Drucker supports the decriminalization of prostitution “on Roadways, Like Old Country Road & Jericho Turnpike,” according to the advertisement. “Again, this accusation is not only factually untrue, but is also a deliberate attempt to scare residents, distract from the real issues facing our communities, and paint a false narrative about Mr. Drucker’s values and legislative priorities,” wrote Behr.
- Drucker would allow multifamily apartments “Next to Our Homes.” “The source of this information is fabricated, false, and defamatory,” Behr retorted.
- Drucker would abolish gifted and advanced school programs. “The source of this information is fabricated, false, and defamatory,” said Behr.
Behr also noted that it would be impossible for Drucker to get these initiatives done because they would need approval from the state Legislature.
But the biggest accusation leveled against Drucker was that the legislator allegedly gave himself a property tax cut “down to $715 on his $1.3 million home,” resulting in a higher tex burden on the residents while he “pocket[ed] $83,345 in savings.”
“There is no legitimate source for this accusation — it is a political smear rooted in misinformation,” Behr stated. “The statement is deliberately misleading and designed to misinform the public about the facts.”
Long Island Life & Politics reached out to the New York State GOP, the Nassau County Republican Committee and her campaign for comment and verification of their claims against Drucker. The Nassau GOP responded, but did not supply a response as to where the claims came from.
“Arnie Drucker’s campaign is collapsing due to his support for higher taxes, a massive homeless shelter planned for his district, and his push for high-density apartment buildings in single-family home areas,” the Nassau GOP said in a statement.
The committee also called his letter “nothing more than a smokescreen designed to conceal the fact that he wrote a carve-out in the tax law to cut his own taxes while raising his neighbors’ taxes. His extreme policies threaten the character and safety of our community.”