By:John C. O'Connell
County history will mark Election Day 2001 as the moment Nassau's government shifted fully into Democratic Party control, for the first time in more than 80 years.
Democrat Thomas R. Suozzi was elected county executive, the first Democrat to hold the job in 40 years. The county Legislature remains in the party's control as well, keeping a slim 10 to 9 majority over Republicans.
Stalwarts against the storm of Democrat reelection victories in the Legislature, local Republicans Francis X. Becker and Vincent T. Muscarella joined seven other Republican legislators who were reelected.
In a local Town Council race, Republican incumbent Anthony Santino defeated Democratic challenger Jerry Lamonica for the Fourth Councilmatic District seat, which includes East Rockaway and a part of Lynbrook. Santino won 17,046 to 13,581.
We had to swim upstream this year, but we did it,Santino said of town Republicans. We won with no coattails.
Sixth District incumbent Becker defeated Democrat Dale Camhi and Green Party candidate Phil Martin to represent the villages of Valley Stream, Lynbrook, East Rockaway and part of North Valley Stream. Unofficial totals from the Board of Elections Wednesday morning have Becker with 9,408 votes to Camhi's 5,926 and Martin's 118.
I am pleased my constituents thought I did a good enough job to reelect me. Becker said the key to his victories since 1996 has been that he always works hard, is always available and always keeps his district in mind.
Becker said he knew with Suozzi running for county executive that there was a definite sentiment for change. He said that losing the executive seat is not too different than the way it has been because current County Executive Tom Gulotta has been a lame duck leader anyway. Becker said he will now just have to work even harder, and concentrate on solving the financial problems in the county. That's the number one issue,Becker said.
Incumbent Muscarella, whose Eighth District includes Malverne, defeated Democrat Tracy J. Murray and Green Party candidate Patricia A. Friedman. Muscarella won big with 12,931 votes to Murray's 5,676 and Friedman's 399.
I thank a lot of people who worked very hard on this campaign,Muscarella said. He said that while there will be a feeling out period between the Republicans on the Legislature and the new Democrat county executive, he believes they will all work together with Suozzi to get things accomplished. When Republicans disagree, we will let him know,but Muscarella was optimistic that there would be cooperation so that the county could move on. He said he thought Suozzi would embrace the ideas of the Republican Party of smaller, more effective government.
In the Seventh District, which takes in a piece of East Rockaway, Democrat Jeff Toback won reelection to a second term with a victory over Republican challenger Merik Aaron, 9,156 to 5,645.
Elsewhere in Nassau, Republicans Richard Nicolello (9th Dist.), Peter Schmitt (12th Dist.), Norma Gonsalves (13th Dist.), Salvatore Pontillo (14th Dist.), Dennis Dunne (15th Dist.) and Edward P. Mangano 17th Dist.) were reelected.
Democrat incumbents Patrick Williams (1st Dist.), Roger Corbin (2nd Dist.), Michael Zapson (4th Dist.), Joseph Scannell (5th Dist.), Lisanne Altmann (10th Dist.), Craig Johnson (11th Dist.), Judith Jacobs (16th Dist.), Brian Muellers (18th Dist.) and David Denenberg (19th Dist.) were reelected.
Republican Karen Murphy was reelected county clerk and Denis Dillon was reelected district attorney. Democrat Howard Weitzman won the comptroller's position, with an unofficial vote of 153,278 to incumbent Republican Fred Parola's 142,726.
Thirty-two percent of the county's 859,344 registered voters cast ballots in the election.
County executive
Tom Suozzi, eight-year mayor of the City of Glen Cove, will become the new Nassau executive in January, having soundly thrashed the Republican's candidate, Bruce Bent. Unofficial totals show Suozzi with 203,901 votes to Bent's 104,052, giving Suozzi about 66 percent of the total votes the two received.
There ain't no stopping us now,a jubilant Suozzi said beginning his victory speech at the Vanderbilt in Plainview Tuesday night. Echoing his campaign mantra that he could do the job of county executive because he faced and prevailed against the same problems as mayor, Suozzi said, We knew we could do it, and now we've done it.
Suozzi said to the wildly cheering Democrats in the hall, We came here as a team, and we leave here as a team, because it takes a team to make the dream.
Tonight is a great victory, but not just for our party, but also for the people of Nassau County. I am humbled and gratified by this victory, that so many have placed their trust in this team.
Today, thousands of Republicans, for the very first time in their lives, pulled a lever for a Democrat. We won't let you down,Suozzi said.
By your request and the request of thousands of voters today, at this moment we have begun to break the back of machine politics in Nassau County government.
Tonight I think we have made history, but tomorrow we go back to work to restore fiscal stability, restore trust and restore pride in our people. The Sept. 11 attacks and the recession will make our jobs that much more difficult and that much more important. If we work together we will solve these problems in the county, but we will only do it as a team.
Thank you, thanks be to God, and God bless everyone,Suozzi said, ending his victory speech.
Suozzi's victory was all the more sweet for Democrats who believed his constant and charismatic campaigning helped them win reelection of every one of their incumbent seats on the Legislature.
In a county with roughly 80,000 more registered Republicans than Democrats, such a significant victory by Democrats may reveal a continued disaffection with the previous Republican legislative majority, whom many voters still blame for the county's financial mess. The trouncing may also be the electorate's way of somehow punishing Republican County Executive Thomas S. Gulotta who chose not to run for reelection.
Joseph Mondello, county Republican Party chairman, had some critical words for his own party's candidate.
The way Bruce Bent ran his campaign, I really disagree with. He could have gotten out a lot earlier,Mondello said. He came out strong in the end. Nevertheless, I think it might be a little too little, too late.
We thought the best thing was to endorse Bruce Bent,Mondello said. Let the tail wag the dog. If I stay around, it'll never happen again.
If there is a Democrat county executive and Legislature, it won't be our demise. You shouldn't look for our demise too quickly. Mondello said Bent should have spent more money on his campaign.
Bent had a different view. He said Tuesday night that he was pleased that so many people had come out to work on his campaign. He said the attacks on the World Trade Center took two weeks out of his campaign.
Regarding Mondello's comments, Bent said, I can't read his mind. I spent exactly what I committed to spending from the beginning, $1 million.
Bent said the media had been unfair to him. He said that the campaign experience was life-fulfilling. I certainly enjoyed it.
Town GOP celebrates
The Town of Hempstead GOP was rewarded for its sound fiscal management, budget surpluses and constituent service achievements.
Incumbent Town Supervisor Richard Guardino beat Democrat challenger Kevin Gorman handily. Unofficial tallies show Guardino got 93,946 votes to Gorman's 69,193.
Republicans retook two of the three Town Council seats up for election. Besides Santino's victory over Lamonica in the 4th Council District, Gary Hudes in the 6th Council District was victorious over Democrat contender Pat Maher.
Incumbent Dorothy Goosby, the Town Board's only Democrat, was reelected.
Valley Stream resident Donald X. Clavin, Town Receiver of Taxes, was elected to the position to which he had been appointed, receiving 82,418 votes to his opponent Fred J. Hirsh's 76,193.
Jonann Brady, Paul Condra and
Jerry Burke contributed to this story.
