OntheWilderSide

September 2010 Update:
2010 primary election results for Suffolk County: here.

Link to 2009 General Election Results at Suffolk BOE: here.
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Kimberly says: There is so little exciting or worthwhile in the Suffolk County elections this year. The only thing that interests me is making a small gesture of disapproval to the Democrats and Republicans for cross-endorsing lots of candidates and giving us no choices. Where you see one candidate on the ballot — PLEASE, WRITE SOMEONE IN. I am especially going to write in: Audrey Capozzi for Suffolk County Treasurer. (Audrey is a Libertarian, who was unfairly kicked off the ballot by the Democrats and Republicans who control our government and the board of elections.)

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Ian and Kimberly’s Somewhat Random Comments on the Upcoming 2009 Suffolk County Elections

Kimberly went to the Suffolk County Board of Elections and filled out some Freedom of Information (FOIL) requests. One excellent set of papers she was able to get was a draft list of candidates.*

One of the most interesting items is that several candidates are listed under The Tea Party. Tea Parties have been demonstrations, portrayed as being grassroots, railing for reform, against taxes and against Obama. Though, with Tea Parties, there have seemed to be many connections to national right wing groups, and to Republicans. And, as a matter of fact, in Suffolk County, most of The Tea Party candidates are regular old Republican candidates. In fact, Thomas Barraga has filed for The Tea Party line, even though he is the incumbent, in the Suffolk County Legislator in District 11 race. (And a a former Assemblyman, and a legislator again before that. Hardly a bastion of change. -ISW)

People are filed under The Tea Party line for the Town of Islip races, and the following Suffolk County Legislative races in the Islip area: Districts 8, 10, [and Barraga in 11^th see above]. (It seems like a desperate move by a failing Islip Republican Party to get some support. -ISW)

The prize for most exotic ballot line goes to Prudence Carabine, running on the “Bonac Beach” line for Town of East Hampton Councilperson. (Wow! The list gives the office as “Councilman”: Wonder if it is election law, the Town, or the BOE that are in the dark ages? -KW)

For the 14^th Suffolk County Legislative District, the candidates who filed are: Cesar Malaga on the Green Party line; Mark Gallo on the Republican line; and Wayne Horsley, who is on the Democratic and several other lines.

Ben Zwirn was registered in the Green Party last time we looked. Though, he has also worked inside Democratic administrations. This election, Ben Zwirn is running on the Democratic and other party lines for Town of East Hampton Supervisor. Zwirn and his colleages used an interesting strategy, creating a slate with the independent ballot line “Common Ground.” Ben Zwirn is running on the following lines: Democratic, Working Families and Common Ground.

The Libertarians are running a slate of countywide candidates: Chris Garvey for District Attorney; Audrey Capozzi for Suffolk County Treasurer; and Richard Peter Fiorio for Sheriff. [Libertarian Update #1 – from a Free & Equal Press release: “…the petition of the Libertarian Party slate for Sheriff, District Attorney and County Treasurer have been challenged.  The individual challenge comes from Rosemary Marchlowska, a Democratic Party State Committee member.” Libertarian Update #2 – “The Suffolk County, New York Libertarian Party candidates for county offices will be heard in state court on October 7 in their fight to show that the Suffolk County Board of Elections should not have removed them from the ballot.” from Ballot Access News. Libertarian Update #3 and who to vote for! – On October 6th, a judge decided to keep the Libertarians off the ballot, based on a technicality. Full story is here. Who should you vote for? Please write in: Audrey Capozzi for Suffolk County Treasurer; Christopher Garvey for District Attorney; and/or Steven Kosin for Treasurer.]

The Integrity Party—which has sometimes endorsed lots of candidates during election seasons past—seems to have only filed for one candidate: incumbent Supervisor of the Town of Southampton, Linda Kabot.

In the Town of Babylon, the Republican Party has truly been absorbed, co-opted and washed out by the force of some powerful, monolithic Democratic officials. (Whom we have found to be ineffective and conservative, and who have a “God Bless Our Troops” sign hanging at Town Hall–which has been up since when the war still belonged to George Bush. In fact, the Democratic candidates are also running on the Conservative Party line.) The Town of Babylon Supervisor is Steve Bellone. And, the Democrats have invented a line called “The Bellone Team” to show who is on their side. Lindsay Henry—who used to be independent and run on the Republican line–is running again for council person, including on the “The Bellone Team” line.

There is lots of action happening in the Town of Shelter Island. We don’t know what it is about. Though, in addition to major party lines, various candidates are running on the “Shelter Island Taxpayer Protection”, and “Island Action” lines, as well as with the Independence Party, Working Families Party and Conservative Party lines.

For primaries of established parties with automatic ballot status, someone can file an “Opportunity to Ballot” [OTB] in that race. It opens up a write-in window. And, it also allows that a candidate not registered in that party can win the nomination of the party in a primary, without approval of the party leaders. It gives a great element of chaos and potential surprise to a primary. There are “Opportunity to Ballots” in the following races:

Suffolk County Legislature, District 11: An OTB in the Working Families Primary.
Suffolk County Legislature, District 15: An OTB in the Independence Party Primary.
Town Clerk, Town of Brookhaven: An OTB in the Working Families Primary.

Update: In the Suffolk County Legislature, District 11 race, Thomas Barraga, a Republican, won the Working Families Party line by doing a “sneaky maneuver” — an OTB in someone else’s party — on the Working Families Party line.

There are several races in Suffolk County where only one candidate has filed to run for that office. We think that situation is a horrible symptom of stringent petitioning requirements which intimidate citizen candidates from trying, and of public apathy about elections. And, also, it is very undemocratic of the two, allegedly “major parties” to not find candidates to put up. Wherever you find a one candidate race, we suggest writing someone in. There should be a pencil available at the polls, and you can ask a poll worker for help.

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*About the list this is based on: The top of the list says “unofficial.” These are candidates listed at the BOE who are either in the general or the primary (ie: so some may lose the primary and not appear on a ballot) as of Thursday, August 20, 2009. This line-up does not take into account situations such as challenges which could knock people off the ballot.

Filed under: 3rd party, Ballot issues, Election 2009, elections, grassroots democracy, Green Party, local, long island, Long Island Politics, News, politics, progressive politics, third party Tagged: | 2009 Elections, Audrey Capozzi, babylon, Ben Zwirn, Brookhaven, Cesar Malaga, Chris Garvey, East Hampton, huntington, Independence Party, Integrity Party, islip, Libertarian Party, long island, Opportunity to Ballot, Peter Fiorio, Riverhead, Rosemary Marchlowska, Shelter Island, Smithtown, Southampton, Southold, Tea Party, The Tea Party, Town Clerk, Town of Babylon, Town of Islip, Town of Shelter Island, Working Families Party, write-in