Clarkstown GOP Denounces County Legislator Frank Sparaco

Republican "Poster-boy" Sparaco Is Back From His Break

Lily Tomlin, in her role as 'Ernestine, the telephone operator' in Rowan and Martin's 'Laugh-In' reminded us: "Ninety eight percent of the adults in this country are decent, hardworking, honest Americans. It's the other lousy two percent that get all the publicity. But then, we elect them!"

Frank Sparaco is the recipient of a patronage job in the Town of Clarkstown acting as a $76,500 part-time telephone operator for the Highway Department with the job title of Constituent Services Assistant. His job is scheduled to be eliminated on June 30, 2014 and he will have to seek other 'employment' unless Highways Superintendent Wayne Ballard intends to commit hari-kari with his own election prospects in 2015 by giving Sparaco a job as his "confidential secretary". Meanwhile Sparaco has filed a 'Notice of Claim' to the Town indicating his intention to file a lawsuit over the loss of his part-time job. This act of hubris will further increase the burden on taxpayers many of whom have lost jobs themselves paying much less than $75,000 for a grand total of 5 hours of 'work' per day.

In previous runs for elective office by Sparaco questions were raised about his financial backers. Two of the people reported to be supplying funds to one of Sparaco’s past election campaigns were people reported to have connections to the mob - Michael Persico  and John Staluppi .

The Journal News reporting about Sparaco's attempt to get into the State Assembly said: Sparaco, 34, who is seeking election to the state Assembly, is the son of Frank Sparaco Jr., a convicted killer with mob ties. The younger Sparaco said he did not know any of the money he received came from those associated with organized crime. "I didn't know," Sparaco said during an Aug. 26 interview at The Journal News. "I have no association with any criminal activity nor have I ever." A review of campaign finance records shows that at least $11,500 from reputed mobsters and their businesses went into Sparaco's coffers since 2007, including at least $10,000 during the past 15 months. The money was donated to Sparaco's Rockland County Legislature campaign in 2007, as well as his current Assembly effort.

Most recently Sparaco resigned from the Republican Committee rather than face those who have accused him of sending anonymous emails attacking members of his own party, using Facebook anonymously to undermine GOP elected officials, and giving support to candidates running against members of his own party particularly those who were running for County Executive against his colleague, Ed Day. The Republican Committee developed conclusive evidence that Sparaco engaged in an organized absentee ballot campaign in support of Democrat David Fried in last year’s County Executive race and he was working to support Democrat Ilan Schoenberger before Schoenberger lost the Democratic primary to Fried.

When he resigned Sparaco 'laughed' at his Republican colleagues stating: “I have been the poster boy of the republican party in Rockland for over a decade. I need a break, let someone else do all the work and fighting LOL (laughing out loud).”

Now, as the letter below shows, Sparaco is back from his 'break' and is attempting to take over the leadership of the Republican Party by collecting enough signatures from voters on petitions to place himself and his supporters in control of the Republican party.

Clearly, as this letter from Clarkstown Republican Chairman, Robert Axelrod, shows the Rockland County Republican Party is at a cross-roads and has decided to make its concerns known to the general public before the ninety eight percent of the adults in this county who are decent, hardworking, honest Americans make a decision that will haunt them for decades because they signed petitions to allow a lousy two percent to control the party's candidates for elective office and to hand out more 'constituent services jobs' to their friends and allies.

TO: CLARKSTOWN REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE PEOPLE
FROM: BOB AXELROD - CLARKSTOWN COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN - DATE: JUNE 27, 2014

RE: FRANK SPARACO IS WORKING HARD TO TAKE OVER THE CLARKSTOWN REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE

I write to you today concerning an urgent matter regarding the future of the Clarkstown Republican Party.

Frank Sparaco, for most of his tenure as a Legislator and former Committee-person, has been the subject of much controversy that has brought undue dissension, divisiveness, and low moral to the Republican Party and significant negative public opinion. I tried my best, on many occasions to reason with Frank but he is impenetrable and defiant.

Many people over the years have questioned Frank's disloyalty but I have resisted the thought of bringing him up on charges for lack of substantial and verifiable proof that he openly violated the State and local Republican By-laws, as well as the obvious internal friction and strife this would cause. However, a couple of months ago Frank crossed the line by openly supporting Democratic candidate Legislator Barry Kantrowitz, an opponent of our own candidate Lon Hofstein for Legislative District 5.

While many in our party have been aware of Frank Sparaco's antics for years, they tolerated him because, at the end of the day, Frank Sparaco usually only causes embarrassment to himself. However, more recent actions by Frank have further CROSSED THE LINE and now threaten the reputation and effectiveness of our Committee and party. These actions include his refusal to support Ed Day's election as County Executive, an election that we all worked very hard on and are extremely proud of. In fact, absentee ballots reportedly facilitated by Frank Sparaco, did not even vote for Ed, but rather his opponent! Ed Days' victory was a victory for our county, our party and opened a new era in Rockland Republican Politics. Ed's victory started here in Clarkstown and to have one of our own work against that victory is unacceptable. Additionally, many believe that Frank Sparaco is behind the recent string of anonymous emails being sent out seeking to embarrass our Elected Town Republicans. Officials such as Councilmen George Hoehmann, Legislator Cris Carey and Candidate for Legislator Lon Hofstein, have all been targeted by these emails.

Frank Sparaco was recently asked to a meeting of our Committee's Leadership to explain himself and his actions. Rather than answer the very tough questions that were put before him, Frank decided to instead resign from the Clarkstown Republican Committee. For those of us that hoped that Frank would simply go away, we will unfortunately be disappointed, and that brings us to the urgency of this letter.

Frank Sparaco has decided to start a war within the Clarkstown Republican Party, with the hope of gaining control of the Committee and its' leadership. Frank Sparaco is doing this by attempting to put up alternative Committee candidates for election this September. Of course, Frank is counting on you NOT to know the REAL reasons, thus this letter. As you all know, we Committee people are elected officials and if Frank is successful in getting the signatures required for his new Committee people, it will force a Committee Primary this September. A Committee primary would take away an enormous amount of time and energy from our Committee's real work; Electing Republican Candidates to Town and County Office. Actually, he would have control over every elected official and the selection of every political candidate in our town. Additionally, a primary in every election district, for every Committee-person, would cost the County of Rockland thousands of dollars.

This is not a personal matter for us or should it be. However, unfortunately, it appears to be a personal matter with Frank Sparaco on all levels and with many people. To us, this is a matter of survival for the Clarkstown Republican Committee and very possibly the Republican Party in Rockland County.

As you go about collecting your petition signatures this week, please take a moment to explain to those signing the petitions, the contents of this letter. Also, if you are asked to sign ANY petition that you do not believe came from the Committee, please email me immediately, or alternatively, ask the person collecting the signatures to call me. All Committee people collecting signatures have my cell phone number.

We are but non-paid volunteers who do what is in the best interest of our town/county and we need to do all we can in order to ensure that individuals with alternative motives and self interests do not hijack it.

In Solidarity,

Bob Axelrod, Chair
Clarkstown GOP Committee

Sparaco has recently had his patronage position in the Town of Clarkstown - given to him by Superintendent of Highways, Wayne Ballard - eliminated and has filed a 'Notice of Claim' against the town notifying it of his intention to sue the Citizens of Clarkstown for this action.

Presently Sparaco is the defendant in a defamation lawsuit brought by Clarkstown's Fleet Manager after Sparaco claimed he had eight hours of video and audio tapes surreptiously recorded in conversations which showed corruption in the Town of Clarkstown. He has not handed over the eight hours of tapes recorded while he was employed as Ballard's 'Constituent Services Assistant' despite a court order to do so leading many to speculate just how many people he has recorded and for what purposes.

Sources inside the Clarkstown GOP say they believe that people are being brought in from the Bronx who may be associated with the indicted ex-Bronx GOP Chairman, Jay Savino, (a former patronage appointee in the Town of Clarkstown before he was arrested by the FBI and fired by Clarkstown) to knock on people's doors for their signatures on Sparaco's petitions.

Michael N. Hull has lived in Rockland County for 35 years where he writes articles on philosophy and political affairs. Hull has written over 100 articles for New City Patch and is presently the senior editor of the Facebook page Clarkstown: What They Don't Want You To Know and a senior editor of Rockland Voice.