DA Probing Oyster Bay Pay-To-Play Allegations

OYSTER BAY — Allegations that Town of Oyster Bay Deputy Supervisor Gregory Carman Jr. was involved in a pay-to-play scheme — where town workers who kicked in campaign donations to the GOP later received raises — are under investigation by Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, her office confirmed Tuesday.

“We began an investigation last week when we learned of these allegations,” DA spokesman Brendan Brosh stated in an email to Patch.

From March to the beginning of October, Oyster Bay lawmakers approved raises for 151 employees without public discussion and 32 of those employees matched names filed with the state’s campaign finance board, according to a report by Newsday. The donation amounts matched the $250, $500 and $750 amounts requested in a letter mailed out by Carman wearing his other hat as the leader of the Farmingdale Republican Committee, Newsday reported.

It is a misdemeanor for government officials to use their influence to require payments for political assessments, though that term is not specifically defined, according to Newsday's report.

Carman could not be reached for comment.

In an email, the Republican committee confirmed that the letters were authentic and, in a statement, asserted that “all campaign fundraising is done within the letter of the law.”

Town spokesman Brian Nevin called the allegations a “ridiculous political stunt.”

New York State Senator Kevin Thomas, a Democrat whose constituency includes Oyster Bay, decried the committee's campaign, referring to it as the “unethical solicitation of town employees and the potential use of taxpayer-funded raises to incentivize political donations.” He was joined at a press conference Monday outside the south annex of Oyster Bay Town Hall in Massapequa by other elected officials, including colleagues from the senate, as well as Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

“On behalf of the taxpayers, we’re sending Oyster Bay officials a clear message: Stop using taxpayer money for your pay-to-play politics,” Thomas stated.

In a statement released by her press office, Curran had this to say: “Nassau County residents deserve honesty and transparency from all of their government officials — anything less undermines public trust and breeds corruption.”

The Republican committee's statement slung a little mud back at Curran, accusing her of hiking homeowners' taxes during a recent reassessment, but not before taking a potshot at her husband, who reportedly bowed out of his legal job at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority after questions were raised about a conflict of interest.

“This is clearly a political stunt by a desperate [County Executive Laura Curran] and her cronies who want to distract voters from her record of hiking property taxes on 65% of Nassau homeowners. It is the height of hypocrisy for a person whose husband was caught red-handed with a sweetheart $240,000 no-bid MTA contract to call for an investigation of another government official,” the statement continued, “If the county executive really wants to ferret out corruption, maybe she should start with her own family.”