Gillen Mailers Blame Driscoll for $42M Hempstead Tax Hike She Can't Set

Mailers sent out by Rep. Laura Gillen's re-election campaign accuse Republican challenger Jeanine Driscoll of backing a $42 million tax hike in the Town of Hempstead, a claim Driscoll and local Republicans call a smear rooted in a job she doesn't actually hold. Driscoll serves as the town's receiver of taxes, an administrative post that collects and disburses property and school taxes but carries no authority to set rates or approve budgets.

The mailers, authorized by the Gillen campaign and mailed by the New York State Democratic Party, claim Driscoll stuck Long Island residents with a massive tax hike they cannot afford, according to the New York Post. One version of the mailer places the $42 million figure in Nassau County, while a Gillen campaign spokesperson separately said taxes spiked more than 12 percent in the Town of Hempstead while Driscoll was responsible, and that she delivered a record-breaking tax hike and took $42 million from Long Islanders.

Driscoll has pushed back directly, saying she collects tax bills but does not set tax rates. Nassau County Republican Party Chairman Joseph Cairo Jr. went further, saying Driscoll has never voted for a tax increase and accusing Gillen of misrepresenting her record. Driscoll herself called the accusations a smear and said voters should hold Gillen accountable as the only person in the race who voted to raise taxes.

What the Receiver of Taxes Job Actually Does

Under New York Town Law and Town of Hempstead charter guidelines, the receiver of taxes holds statutory administrative responsibility for collecting and disbursing property and school taxes, but has no legal authority to propose, vote on, or set municipal budgets or tax rates. Driscoll oversees an administrative office that collects and disburses taxes for the town, special districts and school districts — a distinct function from the Town Board, which actually approves the budget and levy.

The $42.2 million figure traces back to a 12.1 percent property tax levy hike approved by the Town of Hempstead Board in late 2024 for the 2025 municipal budget under Supervisor Don Clavin, as reported by American Journal News. Official town breakdowns show town government services account for roughly eight cents of every property tax dollar homeowners pay, with the remaining 92 cents funneled to school districts, Nassau County, and special districts — a detail that complicates any effort to pin a single tax bill on one town office.

A National Party Playbook Rolled Into a Local Race

The attack line didn't originate solely with Gillen's campaign. In July, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched a public campaign targeting Driscoll, claiming she delivered the largest tax hike in Hempstead history while also noting her secondary home in Southampton was exempt from town taxes. New York State Democratic Party chair Jay Jacobs, who also leads the Nassau County Democratic committee, was behind the mailing of the Gillen campaign's materials.

Republicans have their own counterattack ready, pointing to Gillen's vote against tax relief provisions in President Trump's big beautiful bill, which included tax relief alongside cuts to social-service programs. Cairo said Gillen is the only candidate in the NY-04 race who voted for the biggest tax increase in U.S. history, an assertion tied to that vote. One political source described the Gillen mailer as a panic mailer that could backfire.

Gillen's Own Record on Hempstead Taxes

Gillen, a first-term Democratic U.S. Representative, previously served as Hempstead Town Supervisor after becoming the first Democrat elected to that position in 112 years. During that tenure she repeatedly clashed with the Republican-controlled Town Board over annual spending plans and property tax adjustments — a history Republicans argue undercuts her standing to attack Driscoll on the same issue.

Driscoll won her spot on the ballot after a decisive June Republican primary victory over challenger Marvin Williams, and President Trump held a rally in Garden City earlier this month that Driscoll attended. Former Republican Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, who represented NY-04 from 2023 to 2025 and lost to Gillen in their 2024 rematch, declined another run for the seat and was appointed Inspector General in the U.S. Labor Department under Trump in January.

A Swing District Both Parties Are Fighting Over

NY-04 flipped to Republicans in 2022, when Gillen lost to D'Esposito, before Gillen won it back in 2024 with 191,760 votes to D'Esposito's 183,157, a margin of 8,603 votes. As of February 2025, the district enrolled 239,764 registered Democrats compared to 169,379 registered Republicans, an advantage of more than 70,000 active voters in a district the Cook Political Report currently says leans toward Gillen. The district includes Nassau County's south shore and racially diverse suburban communities that have swung between parties in recent cycles.

The tax mailer fight lands amid other messaging moves by Long Island Democrats trying to hold the district. Hoodline previously reported that Gillen scrubbed Hochul from her site, alongside Rep. Tom Suozzi, in an apparent effort to appeal to moderate voters ahead of a tight general election.