Special election Feb. 11 to replace ex-Legis. Troiano

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano has ordered a special election next month to replace former county Legis. Robert Troiano, a Westbury Democrat who resigned his seat to take a post in North Hempstead.

Mangano issued an executive order Thursday calling for a special election on Feb. 11 in the 2nd Legislative District, which includes Hempstead, West Hempstead, Westbury, New Cassel, Lakeview, Hicksville, Rockville Centre and East Garden City.

The district has 24,395 registered Democrats, 6,031 registered Republicans and 5,976 voters who are not affiliated with a party, according to the Nassau Board of Elections.

Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said he will screen a half dozen candidates on Monday for the seat.

Nassau Republican Party spokesman Anthony Santino said the GOP probably will run Pepitz Blanchard of Westbury, whom Troiano defeated in the November election.

Blanchard, who emigrated from Haiti in 1984, works as a respiratory therapist for Nassau University Medical Center and for Apria Health Care in Plainview as a home therapist.

Troiano, who was first elected to the legislature in 2009, quit last week to become director of operations for North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

Republicans currently control the county legislature by an 11-8 margin.