Government

Steve Rhoads defeats Rita Kestenbaum in the 19th District special election

Posted

Steve Rhoads, a Bellmore Republican, beat Rita Kestenbaum, a Bellmore Democrat, in a special election on March 10 in the Nassau County Legislature’s 19th District. Rhoads captured 58 percent of the vote to Kestenbaum's 42 percent –– a margin of 16 percentage points, according to the county Board of Elections.

Rhoads will now fill the seat that former legislator Dave Denenberg resigned in January on the day that he pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges. The 19th District spans Freeport to Seaford.

Rhoads, who heads the Long Island personal injury practice of law firm Grey & Grey LLP and is an ex-captain of the Wantagh Fire Department, first ran for the seat in 2005 and again in 2013, losing twice to Denenberg. In a statement last Tuesday night, Rhoads thanked voters and pledged to focus on tax, economic and quality-of-life issues.

“I am very honored that our community has elected me as their representative in the Nassau County Legislature,” Rhoads wrote. “Earning your trust, confidence and support is extremely humbling and an honor for which I will always be grateful. There are many issues facing our communities which you have entrusted me to help resolve: the need for tax relief, growing our economy, and improving our quality of life, just to name a few. Know that I will work every day to ensure that I live up to the responsibility which you have given me.”

Kestenbaum, a former Town of Hempstead councilwoman, nonprofit leader and gun-control activist, last ran for office in 2000, when she lost a reelection bid after one year on the Town Board.

As is often the case in special elections, there was low turnout for Tuesday’s vote. Rhoads received 940 more votes than Kestenbaum, 3,269 to 2,329. There are 22,319 Republicans and 16,709 Democrats in the 19th District, the county Board of Elections said earlier this year.