Civic leader, candidate question election process

Derek Donnelly, president of the Merrick Gables Association, teamed up with Pat Nicolosi, a Democrat from Elmont and candidate for the 21st District Assembly, to lead a rally in front of the Nassau County Board of Elections building in Mineola last Thursday to protest "unfair election practices by political parties."

The rally, titled the "Fair Elections Now Rally," was held in attempt to raise awareness of the election process, which, according to Donnelly and Nicolosi, is unfair to Nassau County residents because of the difficulties one encounters when trying to get involved in government.

"We're here because we've lost control of our government," said Donnelly. "Our government is no longer 'of the people and by the people.' The fact is that the elections are controlled by the two major parties, they have all the power, and they have made the rules in Albany that fix the elections so that the third party candidates and people cannot get into their own government. We are locked out of our own government."

In addition to modifying the election process, Donnelly also suggested that the court systems need to improve, and that the people should have more access to public information.

"The entire system is broken," he said. "We should not have judges affiliated with parties, and we should have a government that when someone wants public information, it should be given to them and we should have fair and open elections. We toss more people off the ballot here in New York state than anywhere else, and that doesn't go on in any other states."

Roughly 20 residents from Nassau County attended the rally and held signs to lend their support for changes in government, and to support Nicolosi as he attempts to win the 21st District Assembly seat.