Jon Kaiman is the special adviser on Superstorm Sandy relief to Gov. Andrew Cuomo as well as a former Chairman of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority. He resigned as Supervisor of the Town of North Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 23, 2013, after nearly 10 years in the position following the Cuomo appointments. Kaiman was the Town's third Democratic Supervisor, following Ben Zwirn and May W. Newburger. North Hempstead is the seventh-largest municipality among 1,500 towns, cities and villages in the U.S. The Town Board elected John B. Riordan, the Town Attorney who had served as Nassau County Surrogate until 2011, to succeed Kaiman until Dec. 31, 2013. Riordan, also a Democrat, is not a candidate for the position. Kaiman had previously announced he would not run for a sixth term and was nominated as a candidate for the Nassau District Court. He later declined the nomination just before he was named to his New York state position. Kaiman, 51, implemented a number of innovative programs for North Hempstead. One, the first suburban 311 constituent-response system, fast-tracks public complaints, speeding up service to constituents and optimizing the workforce. In addition, Kaiman initiated Project Independence, a groundbreaking program designed to assist seniors who want to "age in place." Kaiman was responsible for several environmental-friendly programs such as: North Hempstead's Townwide School Recycling Program, S.T.O.P.,Operation Clean Sweep, and North Hempstead's Earth Day Program, including EcoFest. He also led North Hempstead to green its vehicle fleet by purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles for the town. Kaiman's tenure resulted in North Hempstead being ranked in Money 's 2008 listing of the "Best 100 Places to Live in America." North Hempstead was the highest of three communities within New York state to be ranked on the list.
Early career and background
Kaiman, who grew up in New Jersey, is a longtime resident of Great Neck. He graduated from Hofstra University and Hofstra Law School. Kaiman was elected to the in 1999. As judge, he presided over criminal, civil, landlord/tenant, and municipal code cases. Serving only two years until his resignation, Kaiman received the highest rating from the Nassau County Bar Association's Judicial Screening Committee. Kaiman is married and has two sons and a daughter. He is a former trustee of Temple Israel of Great Neck where he and his wife are regular players in the synagogue's annual musical.
