Judy Jacobs, presiding officer of the Nassau County Legislature for the past eight years, is stepping down from the post, saying she realized it is time for new leadership. Taking over for Jacobs will be Diane Yatauro, who has represented the 18th Legislative District since 2003.
Jacobs will still serve in the Legislature, having just won re-election Tuesday in the 16th Legislative District.
Yatauro heaped praise on Jacobs, saying she hopes to be one-tenth of the presiding officer Jacobs was. “I am proud to be following a woman of such greatness,” Yatauro said.
Of course, the shift of power is assuming the Democratic Party holds onto the seat in the 14th Legislative District. Incumbent Legis. David Mejias declared victory in the race over Joe Belesi Tuesday night and the Democratic Party has repeatedly maintained that since.
But Republicans insist the Democrats have no business declaring victory just yet. Mejias leads by 222 votes, but there are more than 300 absentee ballots that must be counted and the ballots cast on Tuesday will be recounted as well.
Environmentalist Dick Amper is using his considerable wind power to express his displeasure over the defeat of a proposal that would have created a fund to preserve open space in Brookhaven.
Proposition Three, rejected by 61 percent of Brookhaven voters, would have mandated a 2 percent real estate transfer tax. Anyone who purchased a home in the town would have had to pay the tax on everything over $250,000.
Amper, of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, says he blames the real estate industry for the proposition’s defeat. He said Realtors (yes, it gets a capital “R”) used significant resources to convince voters that the proposition was a bad deal.
Amper says his group will now create a bond act for voters to decide on. He hopes to get the act on a ballot in a special election in the first quarter of 2008.
He added that the town board’s newly elected Republican majority and re-elected Democrats “are on board” with bringing the issue back to voters, based on initial conversations with the members today.
Judy Jacobs, is trying to extinguish GOP hopes that the party would regain control on of the Nassau County Legislature, calling challenger Joe Belesi’s chances of beating Democrat David Mejias “slim to none.”
Jacobs, the Legislature’s presiding officer, says there are about 320 absentee ballots left to count, and history indicates each party will get about half of them. If that plays true, Mejias would keep his current 222-vote lead.
Despite being in a district with more Republican voters, Jacobs, in an interview with News 12 Long Island, said Mejias will pull out the win because people know him and believe him.
On the morning after Election Night, the hard-fought race for Southampton Town supervisor is still too close to call.
From News12.com:
Incumbent Patrick ‘Skip’ Heaney said a number of factors complicated the outcome. One of those factors is the 500-700 absentee ballots that still need to be counted, according to Heaney.
“Even if I was going to consider a concession speech, I wouldn’t know who to concede to,” Heaney said.
The incumbent supervisor said he’ll be part of the upcoming process for determining a winner. No matter what happens, Heaney said he is grateful for his party’s support and proud of the fact he stood for his record and not promises.
With all precincts reporting, Republican Linda Kabot has 33 percent of the vote, James Henry (D, WF) has 32 percent of the vote and Heaney has 29 percent. Alexander Gregor (I) trails far behind with 6 percent of the vote.
Democratic Legis. David Mejias still says he has won re-election. But with more than 300 absentee ballots left to count and a forced recount still to come, the Nassau GOP insists he is jumping the gun.
Mejias has 51 percent of the vote and Republican challenger Joe Belesi has 49 percent with 100 percent of the precincts reporting.
Mejias declared victory last night and again this morning in an interview with News 12 Long Island. GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello called the declaration “off-base” last night and said Belesi is still in it.
Whoever wins the seat will be the deciding factor in which party controls the Nassau County Legislature.
Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi planned a news conference Wednesday to declare Democrats have maintained control of the Legislature.
The good news for Brookhaven Democrats: Brian Foley won a second term as the town’s supervisor. It was a tough race against Republican Robert DiCarlo, who grabbed 46 percent of the vote.
But there’s some big bad news. The Democrats lost the majority on the town board.
Brookhaven Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Garcia called it a “Wonderful victory for taxpayers and homeowners.” He said the victories were a response to Republicans’ focus on overcrowding and illegal immigrants. “We came through and voters responded to that message,” Garcia said.
For the first time since 1931, Democrats have captured a majority in the Town of Islip, with the re-election of Supervisor Phil Nolan and wins by John Edwards and Gene Parrington.
As expected, Steve Levy, supported by virtually everyone, their mother and grandmother, won with a commanding victory for a second term as Suffolk County executive. (A video of his speech will be posted here soon.)
Levy, who was led to the podium by bagpipers and a political entourage, said his success was based on a simple formula. “Four years ago we said we were going to do a certain amount of certain things, and we did them.” Those items included keeping the county’s portion of property taxes in check, buying up open space, “reforming Suffolk County government and “professionalizing” the system.
Levy said he’s often ask, “Where do we go from here?”
Te biggest priority, he said, will be “to give us an Island we can afford to live on — it’s all about taxes …. All the other issues are irrelevant if we can’t afford to live here.”
Levy said he would dedicate his next term to consolidating back functions the county’s many school districts — which levy the brunt of property taxes — and creating thousands of housing units so that “the next generation can stay in Suffolk County.”
Republicans in Nassau County haven’t closed the book on this Election Day, but Nassau GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello is already looking ahead to 2009.
When asked by News 12 Long Island about who he’d like to see as Nassau’s County Executive, Mondello quickly offered up the name of Kate Murray. Murray tonight was successful in her bid for re-election as Town of Hempstead supervisor. Another name Mondello mentioned was Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto.
Mondello said tonight was the best night for Republicans in Nassau since 1999. The chairman says all of the party’s incumbents have won and that the party also swept the elections in Long Beach. Mondello also says he is still confident about the 14th Legislative District, where Republican Joe Belesi is looking to unseat Legis. David Mejias.
