Court suit raises questions as 17th District primary nears

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As the Republican primary for the State Assembly’s 17th District draws near, a court filing focusing on ballot signatures has candidates already butting heads.

Republican incumbent John Mikulin, of Levittown, joined by fellow Republican Tommaso Terzulli, of East Meadow, filed suit in Nassau County Supreme Court on Aug. 1 to investigate an attempt by challenger James Coll’s mother, Lynn, to have a blank space added to the Conservative line on the primary ballot. Republicans said the action is routine procedure, but Coll said that it reflects his goal to change state election laws.

Coll, 45, of Seaford, received roughly 1,000 petition signatures — double the necessary number — to qualify to appear on the Sept. 13 primary ballot, filing the petitions with the Nassau County Board of Elections in July.

While Coll did not collect enough signatures to earn a spot on the Conservative line on the ballot, his mother was attempting to gather enough signatures to have a blank space added for voters to write in their choice.

A statement from the Nassau County Republican Committee backing the action reads, “The law is clear in requiring the submission of nominating petitions, replete with a specified number of signatures, by candidates who wish to compete on ballots for elective office. In the Conservative Party Primary in the 17th Assembly District, Jim Coll apparently could not garner enough support to collect the number of signatures required for an opportunity to ballot.”

The case was to be heard in court on Aug. 9. The day before, however, the Nassau County Board of Elections ruled that there would not be a blank space on the ballot.

Because the Board of Elections was al-ready looking into the matter, Coll called Mikulin and Terzulli’s court action “egregious,” “unnecessary” and an attempt to intimidate his mother.

“It’s everything I’m running against,” Coll said. “It really shows how destructive these laws are to people that seek even the opportunity to run for office, and how routine and abusive these laws are to people running.”

Mikulin and Coll were scheduled to appear at a public forum at the East Meadow Public Library on Wednesday, after press time. The forum will be featured in the next issue of the Herald. They will vie for the Republican nomination on Sept. 13.