Down but not out?

The controversy in the election race for Nassau County’s 2nd Legislative District seat is still brewing.

After recently being disqualified from the district’s Democratic primary, Westbury resident Pablo Sinclair submitted a petition on Aug. 18 to run as an independent Democrat in the election in November.

According to the county Board of Elections, Sinclair submitted 1,777 petition signatures that day to add the People First party line on the election ballot.

Sinclair, a 36-year-old manager at Verizon and a political newcomer, was disqualified from the 2nd L.D.’s Democratic primary on Aug. 6 after his signatures were ruled “not sufficient” by the Board of Elections. William Biamonte, the board’s Democratic commissioner, said that 726 of the 822 signatures Sinclair filed were thrown out because information was missing or incorrect addresses were listed.

Sinclair said that it was unfair that nearly all of his signatures were disqualified due to a “mere technicality,” contending that county officials have not given him a fair chance to compete in the race. “I had a lawyer review my signatures this time to make sure all of the signatures included all of the required information, so I am confident that my signatures will get approved,” he said, adding that he garnered more support after residents learned why he was disqualified from the primary. “I’m not a party person, and I’m not the person who the Democratic Party wants to win this race, so I think this has a lot to do with why I was disqualified from the Democratic primary.”