Ethan Irwin will not appear on primary ballot

Updated Aug. 26, 9:15 a.m.

The legal battle for Ethan Irwin of Levittown ended this week after he tried to remain on the ballot for the 6th Senate District Democratic primary on Sept. 14, the former candidate confirmed on Wednesday.

Irwin's signed petitions were challenged in court, and it was determined that he did not have enough to stay on the ballot for the Democratic primary. He said he plans to stay active in the community, and possibly run again when the seat is up in 2012.
   
Irwin grew up in Fayetteville, a suburb of Syracuse. He served for several years in the Marines, and after his honorable discharge in 1996, he earned a sociology degree from Stony Brook and a law degree from St. John’s University. He has been an attorney for the past six years.

  
Irwin lives in Levittown with his wife, Veronica, and two children, Katherine and William.
   
Calling himself an “independent Democrat,” Irwin said that throughout the legal process, he has continued his campaign, traveling the district and speaking to residents.
   
“I’m just a regular guy who happens to be an attorney with an understanding of the legislative process,” Irwin said. “I can actually do something to help people in New York. The reason I decided to run is because I, like everyone else in New York,  am sick of taxes going up every year and people in Albany stealing money and wasting it.”