Ciotti Blurring the Lines Between Campaigning and Official Duties. Is the Taxpayer Paying for This?

John Ciotti is getting the race of his life from Nina Petraro-Bastardi who can be seen everywhere in the district answering peoples questions and listening to thier issues. This past weekend, Ciotti set up an official table as a Legislator at the Elmont Fair. Here is a picture of the official table with a Ciotti "re-elect" campaign sign with the "re-elect" blocked out.




Here are two photographers, one from the Town of Hempstead (on the left) and the other from the county hanging around the Ciotti table..



Here are taxpayer paid photographers taking a picture of Ciotti with the Elmont Fire Department. Looks like an official business photo-op, right? (click to enlarge)

Then what is County Executive candidate Ed Mangano doing there? He's a legislator from Hicksville which is at the other side of the county. The only thing that would bring Mangano out to Elmont would be to campaign. So Ciotti with Mangano are campaigning and taxpayer paid photographers are taking pictures?

Again, other to campiagn, Mangano has no reason to be in Elmont.

So the question now is who is paying for the photographers? Also, who will be using the pictures?

Do the photographers submit their timesheets to the campaigns or to the Town and County?We'll watch to see where the pictures end up and file a FOIL appropriately.