The League of Women Voters of East Nassau hosted a forum at the Levittown Public Library, attended by more than a dozen residents, to analyze local and national results from the 2025 elections.
Barbara Epstein, co-president of the nonpartisan, grassroots nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals to participate in democratic activities, opened the Nov. 19 forum by focusing on local races. She highlighted the continued success of Republican candidates in countywide elections.
Republican incumbent Bruce Blakeman secured another term as Nassau County executive, defeating his Democratic challenger, Seth Koslow, 54 percent to 46 percent. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly was also elected to another term, defeating Democrat Nicole Aloise, 55 percent to 44 percent.
County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, another Republican, won re-election, besting Democrat Wayne Wink 55 percent to 45 percent in a race centered on fiscal oversight and government efficiency. Republican County Clerk Maureen O’Connell held on to her seat as well, defeating Democrat Joylette Williams 57 percent to 43 percent.
Epstein also discussed results in the Town of Hempstead, where John Ferretti, a Republican who was appointed supervisor in August following Former Supervisor Don Clavin’s resignation, was elected to a full term. He defeated Democrat Joe Scianablo 53 percent to 47 percent. Epstein noted the closeness of the race compared to others. “It was relatively and numerically speaking, a closer race than a lot of the other races from numbers only,” she said.
She also pointed out that for the first time in 54 years, the City Council in Long Beach is entirely Republican. Incumbent Councilman Michael Reinhart, Tracey Johnson, and George Ennis defeated Democrats Roy Lester, an incumbent, as well as Peggy Butts and Lillian Mosley. In contrast, Epstein highlighted the victories of Democrats Danielle Fugazy Scagliola, John Frank Zozzaro and John Perrone in Glen Cove, resulting in a split council with three Democrats and three Republicans.
“Cities and towns are totally different entities,” Epstein said. “They function unto themselves, basically—particularly the cities.”
She also noted that the Republican supermajority in the Nassau County Legislature was reduced. “There is no super majority that exists,” she said, referring to the new 11–8 Republican majority. “When you have a super majority, which makes it possible for them to basically control everything that goes on when it comes to the budget and funding.”
Other results included races in the Town of North Hempstead and Suffolk County. In Suffolk, District Attorney Ray Tierney earned a second term, running unopposed. Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. also ran unopposed to earn a third term.
Following Epstein’s Suffolk summary, several attendees questioned why certain races, such as sheriff and district attorney, featured no opposition. “Maybe they feel there's no point because they're not going to win,” asked Grace Felicetti, a member of the league.
Dania Smith, another league member, focused on turnout. “Very few of them (Democrats) came out to vote,” said Smith, a Levittown resident. “Do you think it's because they're giving in to the Republican machinery that's been running things?”
According to the Nassau County Board of Elections, 32 percent of registered Democrats voted in county races this election cycle, compared with 27 percent in 2021. Forty percent of registered Republicans voted four years ago; that number dipped slightly to 39 percent this year. Roughly 20 percent of voters unaffiliated with a political party—known as “blanks”—cast ballots, with many of them leaning Republican in Nassau.
While Democrats struggled locally, they found success on the national stage. In New York City, Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani defeated former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, to become the city’s first Muslim and first South Asian mayor—and the youngest in more than a century.
Mollie Schwaber, the league’s co-president, observed that Mamdani’s candidacy became a talking point in Nassau campaigns. “It provoked fear in people in Nassau County,” she said. “They're afraid of a socialist, and afraid of the policies that might leak into Nassau County.”
Cheryl Hobbes, a Westbury resident who worked as a poll worker, said she saw that anxiety firsthand. “We actually had a couple come in who looked at the ballot and said, well, where's Mamdani?” she said.
Epstein also cited two Democratic victories in gubernatorial races. In New Jersey, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill defeated former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli to become the state’s governor. And in Virginia, former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger beat Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the commonwealth’s first female governor.
As attendees compared Democratic national gains with local defeats, theories emerged. “There just wasn't the visibility of who the Democratic candidates were,” Hobbes said of the local races.
Mehri Fryzel, a Garden City resident and member of the League of Women Voters of Central Nassau, suggested Democrats lacked organizing power. “They (Republicans) say, you don't have enough people coming out. I suspect they get on the phones and they call people, and they pick them up. I've yet to see any Democrat come to any polling place I've been at to do anything slightly similar.”
Meetings like this are part of the league’s mission to foster civic engagement and deepen public understanding of elections and policy. To learn more, visit LWVEastNassau.org.
