Troiano in, Corbin out

Nassau County Legislator Roger Corbin lost his bid for re-election on Tuesday after Town of North Hempstead Councilman Robert Troiano had a landslide victory in the 2nd Legislative District's Democratic primary.

According to the county Board of Elections, Troiano won more than two-thirds of the vote in the predominately Democratic and minority district. The county's unofficial tally is Troiano 1,261, Corbin 749.

"This win is not about me because it's about the people and they are the real winners here," Troiano said just minutes after his victory. "I just want to thank the voters for all of their support and for giving my campaign the opportunity to bring change in this district."

For the past two months, the primary race has garnered much attention because Corbin chose to move forward with his re-election bid despite facing charges of tax fraud and lying to federal agents about his taxes and not getting the Democratic Party's nomination. Corbin, who has held the seat since the Legislature's inception in 1995, is scheduled to go on trial on Oct. 19.

Corbin could not be reached for a comment.

Troiano's challenge came after a group of district residents collected more than 1,400 petition signatures to have his name added to the primary ballot. Troiano said the grassroots support, along with his desire to bring a change in leadership to the district, encouraged him to compete in the primary.

"Although many people said it was impossible, residents in the district banned together and successfully collected enough petition signatures in only 13 days," the longtime Westbury resident added. "The people spoke then and they spoke tonight and I'm really looking forward to representing the residents of this district."

Troiano will now move on to face Republican Derek Partee in the general election on Nov. 3.

The 2nd L.D. encompasses Lakeview, portions of West Hempstead, East Meadow, Westbury and New Cassel, among other areas.