Even as Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) declared victory Tuesday night over his Republican challenger, Chris Browne from Rockville Centre, officials from Browne's campaign said there will be a recount of all votes in the 5th Legislative District. more

Nassau and Suffolk County Republicans await voter results — and ultimately celebrated — in Westbury, NY more

Republicans retook the Nassau County Legislature on Tuesday, even as Democratic incumbent Legislator Joe Scannell, whose 5th District seat was widely considered to be vulnerable, defeated challenger Chris Browne in a close race. more

It was a shocking night in Nassau County for several local Democrats, most notably County Executive Tom Suozzi, who, as the Herald reached deadline, was ahead by a razor-thin 237 vote margin. more

The following are profiles of candidates running for seats on the Nassau County and district court. more

After much debate, the Rockville Centre village board shot down a $750,000 bond resolution at its meeting Monday night. more

Kathleen Rice ascended to the district attorney’s post four years ago as a virtual unknown -- a former federal prosecutor and Brooklyn assistant district attorney who had never run for political office before. Back then, she appeared a tad unsure of herself, slightly nervous in her interviews with the Herald. And why not? She was opposing the legendary Denis Dillon, who had served as Nassau County district attorney for 31 years. Despite being a political neophyte, Rice ran a strong campaign, and was elected with 51 percent of the vote to Dillon’s 49 percent. Four years later, we’re happy that Rice was elected. She has proven herself to be a consummate professional who only improved an already well-run D.A.’s office. Cases are processed nearly twice as fast as they once were. Conviction rates are up. And Rice has garnered a national reputation for her aggressive stance against driving while intoxicated. Many now call her the toughest DWI prosecutor in the country. more

It’s hard to argue with a track record like that of Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi, a Democrat from Glen Cove. Over the past eight years, he took a fiscally mismanaged, virtually insolvent county and turned it around, consistently balancing a budget that seemingly could not be balanced. Suozzi saved money by cutting the county work force by 1,000 employees and instituting tried-and-true management practices that were previously nonexistent. At the same time, he has put in place a host of programs to improve residents’ quality of life, from smoking-cessation regimens to energy-efficiency incentives. more

The Rockville Centre school district learned last week that it has successfully challenged a lawsuit filed over the winter by Nassau County Legislator Roger Corbin to shift the payment of real estate tax refunds from Nassau County to school districts and other local entities. more

Gov. David Paterson’s dire warning last week of a $5 billion deficit in the state budget over the next two years, and his plans to address it, drew a swift — and negative —response from local officials. The governor’s plan calls for a $3 billion reduction in state spending in the current fiscal year, ending March 30, and includes a reduction in state aid to schools by about $690 million. more