A political shift in L.B.?

Appellate judges: Long Beach Democrats' nominating petitions are invalid

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In what many are calling a major blow to the leadership of the Long Beach Democratic Committee, a New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division panel ruled last week that the nominating petitions for the entire slate of Long Beach committee nominees backed by Chairman Mike Zapson were invalid.

But Zapson and other committee members said that the ruling would not have the major impact that members of the Nassau County Democratic Committee — and Democrats who have been calling for a change in the local party leadership — are claiming. The county committee says the ruling effectively ends Zapson’s hold on power in Long Beach and will oust the current members from the local committee.

Committee members are elected, and have the power to nominate candidates and the party chairman at conventions. In what is known as the county committee’s Long Beach zone — which includes communities in the 20th State Assembly District — there are 62 committee members, 48 of them in Long Beach.

In July, Nassau County Committee Chairman Jay Jacobs moved to invalidate petitions submitted by the Long Beach Democrats for local committee seats.

Later that month, Zapson appealed a State Supreme Court decision that invalidated petitions submitted by the city Democratic Committee for candidates running for local committee seats. Judge Arthur Diamond wrote that the petitions were “factually defective” and failed “to identify the party position and geographical territory covered” — specifically areas in the Town of Hempstead and Long Beach.

“The petitions were a mess,” said one party official who declined to be identified. “So, when you sign a petition, you don’t know if it’s for a Long Beach committee person …”

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