Santositis tossed in school board elections

Daily Point

Jericho candidate associated with Santos loses

The results of Tuesday’s school board elections had winners coming from all ends of the political and culture war spectrum. But not many contests had the added value of Rep. George Santos as a player in the race.

In Jericho, Jill Citron and Divya Balachandar won in a field that included John Sarraf, who was linked to Santos. Sarraf had donated to and supported Santos last year, but he told The Point earlier this week that he “was fooled like everybody else.”

Balachandar got 1,084 votes, Citron received 1,074 votes, and Sarraf ended up with 707 votes. Voter turnout was about the same as last year when Jericho had just one trustee seat open. Sarraf ran last year, too, garnering 630 votes to Chris Foresto’s 879. Sarraf declined to comment on Wednesday.

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall

Talking Point

Is Nassau County’s legislative map all set?

The run-up to the June 27 primaries is well underway. Designating petitions were filed by candidates more than a month ago. The races are taking shape.

So by now, observers wonder whether Nassau Democrats will still mount a court challenge to the county legislature’s new district lines which they attacked so vehemently. Or whether any lawsuit could make a difference anymore in this November’s elections: The hour has grown late.

One party insider nonetheless insists: “Our goal is to file in a very short while. We’re trying for this election,” with plans being “finalized.”

Several Democratic insiders noted to The Point it would take substantial money and resources to sue in court to get boundaries for the legislature’s 19 seats redrawn. In part, they said, that’s because of the intensive numerical research and analysis required.

But there’s also chatter about the prospect of suing with the goal of having changes take effect after this year. But the next election would be in 2025, and this is supposed to be the reapportionment year.

Of course there is no guarantee the Democrats would be successful. The map lines were drawn up and approved earlier this year by the chamber’s Republican majority — with some adjustments after Democratic complaints.

Only six weeks ago, the roles of different organizations in a court challenge were privately set out and discussed by party insiders.

David Mejias, who headed the Democratic side of the county’s bipartisan redistricting advisory committee, criticized the map as a partisan gerrymander. The NYCLU reportedly explored voting rights laws. Fred Brewington, the Nassau-based civil rights attorney, expected to be somewhere in the mix.

But there has been no public follow-up. The GOP majority going into this year’s elections stands at 12-7 and that margin is not expected to change radically after Election Day.

After the map’s passage in February, Legis. Kevan Abrahams, leader of the legislature’s Democratic minority, accused Republicans of drawing lines to favor their own party. He said at the time that it violated the John Lewis Voting Rights Act by failing to create five mostly minority districts.

Last month, Abrahams said he would not seek reelection to what would be a significantly revised seat. He was quoted as saying he understood political observers would presume that redistricting influenced his decision, adding: "I know a lot of people will come to that conclusion; it’s a lot of things at this point.”

— Dan Janison @Danjanison

Pencil Point

Defining fear

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Final Point

Read the Coliseum lease

Come Monday, the Nassau County Legislature is expected to vote on whether to transfer the Nassau Coliseum lease to Las Vegas Sands, which hopes to build a casino resort at the site.

The vote will be a significant step in Sands’ effort to compete for one of three downstate casino licenses that the state will issue, as it would provide the casino giant with control of the property — a necessary piece of applying for a license.

But as of Wednesday morning, The Point was unable to find the lease on Nassau County’s websites, and county officials seemed unable to determine whether it would be published online — or why it wasn’t already available. On the county legislature website, only a two-page ordinance regarding the lease was accessible.

Click here to read the full 175-page lease, along with hundreds of additional pages of exhibits and documentation, which were first filed with the Nassau County Legislature in late April.

— Randi F. Marshall @RandiMarshall