The battle for State Senate

Daily Point

All Nassau Senate seats up for grabs as Dems line up

While all eyes are on a single congressional special election right now, other candidates are already looking ahead to next year’s battles for Long Island’s State Senate seats.

Last week, Nassau Democrats held an extensive screening session for candidates who plan to run for State Senate. With Kevin Thomas — currently the only Nassau Democrat in the chamber — planning a run for the 4th Congressional District, the county is left with no Democratic incumbents. All Nassau State Senate nominations are up for grabs.

The Democrats’ screening included candidates for SD6 — Thomas’ seat — along with SD7 and SD9. Democratic observers told The Point that while SD6 and SD7 are getting the most attention, turnout in a presidential year could turn even SD9 blue in the right circumstances.

Thanks to redistricting, Thomas no longer lives in the 6th district and chose to vie for the CD4 seat instead — though he doesn’t live in that district, either. While it’s still unclear whether Thomas or former Hempstead Town supervisor and 2022 contender Laura Gillen will be the CD4 nominee, Thomas has said he won’t be running for State Senate again.

State Assemb. Taylor Darling and Nassau County Legis. Siela Bynoe already have announced their candidacies and, sources tell The Point, both screened with party officials last week. Also at the screening, sources said, was Carmen Pineyro, a former Freeport village trustee.

State Sen. Jack Martins, a Republican, currently represents the 7th Senate District, after beating Democrat incumbent Anna Kaplan in 2022. Already, there’s a lot of interest among Democrats for that seat. Among those who screened: outgoing Nassau Legis. Josh Lafazan, who lost his reelection bid last month, and Rory Lancman, who was a previous Assembly member when he lived in Queens and now lives in Great Neck and presides over the Great Neck library board.

Lafazan told The Point he was “looking at this opportunity as well as others to best serve the community that raised me.”

Lancman, who most recently has been serving as executive director of the state commission that’s exploring the future of the Long Island Power Authority, told The Point that the district needs representation that comes from the Senate majority.

“If you’re in the minority, as Jack Martins is, you’re not in the room when important things are decided. You’re not even in the building,” Lancman said. “If you want to ask yourselves why the interests of Long Island when it comes to housing or taxation or the environment or criminal justice do not seem to be part of the Albany agenda, it’s because we don’t have enough representation in the rooms where things get decided.”

Port Washington resident Kim Keiserman, an education consultant and board member of the North Hempstead Housing Authority, and Zak Malamed, who was planning a run for Congress until he endorsed Tom Suozzi last month, also screened for the SD7 seat, sources said. Keiserman, who is now a regional captain for Suozzi’s campaign, officially announced her candidacy on Tuesday, saying she’d emphasize education, the environment and reproductive rights.

“I just don’t accept this idea that Long Island is going red,” Keiserman told the Point Tuesday. “We need to get out and talk to voters and figure out why some Democrats are staying home. We have the registration advantage, so the problem has been in sagging Democratic turnout.”

James Scheuerman, the county’s Democratic committee executive director, ran last week’s screenings. He told The Point that the party is planning another screening for additional candidates after the holidays, noting that he’s still hearing from those interested in running. The party will determine its candidate choices at a convention sometime early next year.

“These are not races we want to give up in any way, so we want the best candidate to try to get these seats back,” said Scheuerman.

The goal, Scheuerman said, is to avoid a primary for any of the Senate seats.

“We shouldn’t be infighting,” he said. “Sometimes they’re healthy, but Democratic money that’s raised is better spent fighting Republicans than fighting other Democrats.”

The Democrats’ best chance of taking back some Senate seats is in a presidential election year.

“Everybody who screened said the right things,” Scheuerman said.

While voters may not be focused on those races right now, it’s no wonder the candidates are already preparing for battle. Petitioning for next year’s state races starts in late February — about two weeks after the CD3 special election on Feb. 13.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

A dark place

For more cartoons, visit www.newsday.com/nationalcartoons

Final Point

In redder North Hempstead, a green light to fill vacant posts

As every year winds down, the game of governmental musical chairs heats up, with outgoing elected officials looking for new positions and incoming elected officials making picks to fill key roles.

This year is no exception.

That’s particularly true in the Town of North Hempstead, where Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, a registered Democrat who ran as a Republican, will now have a Republican-controlled town board willing to work with her. That gives DeSena the chance to finally fill critical positions, after two years of having trouble doing so under a Democratic town board majority.

One of the most important spots to fill: the role of North Hempstead Town attorney.

Among those in the mix: outgoing Nassau County Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello.

Town spokesman Brian Devine confirmed to The Point that Nicolello is “in the running” for the town attorney position, adding that no final decision had been made yet.

“It’s one of the most important, if not the most important job to fill,” Devine said.

Devine said he expects the determination will be made before the new town board’s first meeting on Jan. 9. The town board has to approve hiring decisions — and Devine said he expects the town attorney job will be among the positions up for discussion and a vote that day.

Nicolello did not immediately respond to The Point’s requests for comment.

It’s been a tumultuous two years in North Hempstead, in which the town mostly went without a comptroller, except for a four-month stint by Kristen Schwaner, who resigned the crucial position in August. The town also has lacked deputies in that department, so those jobs will need filling as well.

Cue the music.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Subscribe to The Point here and browse past editions of The Point here.

CORRECTION: Monday's edition of The Point incorrectly described Lawrence Jones as a reporter for Fox & Friends. He is a co-host of the program.