By Dana Williams
The incumbent Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) is running for re-election, but is also facing charges of fraud and lying to federal agents.
Attorney Greg Lewis, community activist Pablo Sinclair and Town of North Hempstead Councilman Robert Troiano, along with Corbin, will be listed on the primary ballot. Corbin has held the seat since the Legislature’s inception in 1995. The minority-dominated district encompasses Lakeview, parts of West Hempstead, East Meadow, Westbury and New Cassel, among other areas.
The primary will take place on Sept. 15.
Troiano, the first African-American to serve on the North Hempstead town council, held a press conference in front of the Nassau County Courthouse on Monday to announce his candidacy. In between chants of “Troiano” and “Yes We Can” from more than 50 residents, Troiano said he is running to help the district move forward in a positive direction. He highlighted his success in helping to bring nearly $100 million in private investment funding to revitalize Prospect Avenue in New Cassel, and his latest efforts to develop a $25 million multi-purpose community center in the hamlet, which adjoins the Village of Westbury.
Troiano, a 56-year-old former Westbury Board of Education trustee who filed a little more than 1,400 signatures, said the press conference officially kicked off his election campaign. “I look forward to expanding on my record of achievement to other areas of the Second Legislative District, which have been underserved and underrepresented,” he said. “This campaign is not about me alone, this is about me working for the constituents in the Second Legislative District.”
Sinclair, 36, a manager at Verizon and a political newcomer, said his campaign would focus on “accountability and leadership,” and added that there is a need for more elected officials in the district who residents can trust. Sinclair, who collected 822 signatures for his election bid, has served as the president of the Westbury Hills Civic Association for the past six years.
“I think it’s time for a change in this district and I believe that I can help this district move forward to the next level,” he said. “This district needs someone who can answer the community’s call and get things done on the county level, and I feel I am the person who can do that.”
Lewis, a longtime Brooklyn trial attorney who collected 1,087 signatures, said that he planned to withdraw from the race this week, but he would not comment further.
The news of the three new candidacies came a little more than a week after a federal judge set Oct. 19 as the starting date for Corbin’s trial. He is accused of evading taxes on $226,000 in income that he allegedly received from a developer involved in the Town of North Hempstead Community Development agency’s $60 million New Cassel Revitalization Project, and lying about his taxes to federal agents. If convicted on all charges, Corbin could face up to 11 years in prison and be ordered to pay more than $70,000 in back taxes, plus interest and other penalties, and nearly $1 million in fines, court officials said.
Corbin’s lawyer, Thomas Liotti, is pushing for a later trial date, preferably after the county election on Nov. 3. Liotti and Corbin are also aiming to have the situation resolved civilly through the U.S. attorney general’s office. In the meantime, Corbin is busy campaigning for re-election, and Liotti said that Corbin is confident about his chances. He gathered 1,292 signatures in support of his re-election bid, 792 more than the minimum requirement.
Many district residents, however, are now publicly supporting other candidates, because, they say, Corbin’s legal situation has the potential to put the district at risk of not having an elected representative in the Legislature. According to the Nassau legislative charter, if a seat becomes vacant due to a resignation, the county executive must call for a special election, and the election must be held within 60 days.
From July 3 to 15, 35 residents from Lakeview, New Cassel, Westbury and Hempstead collected 1,400 petition signatures in different parts of the district to have Troiano’s name added to the primary ballot, with many contending that he has the political experience and knowledge of the community that a legislator needs. Troiano, who has been a resident of the district for 40 years and has served on the North Hempstead town council for six years, said he decided to run after supporters gathered so many signatures in only 13 days.
“We are supporting Robert Troiano because we’re doing our part to make sure that we have a great leader representing our district on the Legislature,” said Westbury resident Denise Thompson, one of those who campaigned door to door for Troiano in the days leading up to the July 16 petition deadline. “We have to make sure our district is well represented, so we’re supporting Troiano because we feel he would do the best job in making sure that the needs and concerns of our district are addressed at the county level.”
Westbury resident Estell Myers echoed Thompson’s sentiments, saying Troiano is the candidate that “would best represent the diverse district’s needs on the Legislature.”
“Troiano listens to what is on the minds of residents, and immediately works to make changes,” Myers added. “He knows the issues facing our community and he has the experience in government, so this is the type of person that I think should serve on the Legislature.”
Troiano announced on Monday that he would start his door-to-door campaign in Lakeview that evening.
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
