Blakeman defeats Curran, GOP gains one seat in Nassau Legislature

Robert Pelaez
Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman declared victory in the county executive race last week. (Photo courtesy of the Blakeman Campaign)

Despite a majority of absentee ballots being cast for Nassau County Executive Laura Curran to retain her seat, Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman defeated the Democratic incumbent by more than 2,000 votes, according to final results from the Nassau County Board of Elections.

After trailing by nearly 12,000 votes in the election night tally, Curran received more than 16,000 of the roughly 22,000 outstanding absentee ballots, finishing with 140,476 votes, according to the Board of Elections. Blakeman, a Republican, finished with 142,626 votes, according to the results.

Curran, in a statement following the final vote tallies, congratulated Blakeman on his victory and reflected on some of the accomplishments she and her administration helped achieve over the past four years.

“This is not the result we hoped for, but there is so much to be proud of. Four years ago, we promised to clean up the corruption and fiscal mismanagement that plagued county government, balance budgets and turn deficits into surpluses – and we did just that,” Curran said. “Our county must build on this progress, while preparing for the challenges ahead. I congratulate County Executive-elect Bruce Blakeman on his victory, and wish him the best as he undertakes this important work.”

Blakeman told Newsday he received a “very gracious and kind call” from Curran on Tuesday. In an interview with Blank Slate Media last week, Blakeman, who previously served as the liaison between Nassau County’s Republican Party and former President Donald Trump, said one of his main goals is to make Nassau County more affordable for its current and future residents.

“I’m going to be a very pro-business, pro-economic development, pro-job county executive and work with every community to increase the business activity,” he said.

The Republican Party also picked up an additional seat on the Nassau County Legislature, with challenger Mazi Melesa Pilip defeating 10th District incumbent Ellen Birnbaum, a Democrat.

Incumbent Legislators Joshua Lafazan of the 18th District and Arnold Drucker of the 16th District defeated their Republican challengers after trailing in the vote tally available on election night. Once the Board of Elections tallied the absentee ballots on Monday, officials said, Drucker defeated Republican Daniel Alter by 406 votes and Lafazan, who ran on the Democratic and Conservative party lines, defeated Republican Paola Pironi by more than 200.

Michael Deery, a spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee, told Newsday it “appears that they have prevailed in their races for re-election.”

Jennifer DeSena, a registered Democrat who ran on the Republican line, defeated North Hempstead Clerk Wayne Wink in the race for town supervisor, with Wink conceding on Tuesday. Supervisor Judi Bosworth announced earlier this year she would not run for re-election.

DeSena, who received 22,709 votes, said, “As we emerge and reopen I want to find solutions that make local government more user-friendly. We must improve the response time of the Building Department so homeowners can complete transactions and businesses can open and operate successfully. We must examine our spending so that we have safe parks and roads but maintain affordability. I look forward to meeting all the Town employees and making sure we provide the best possible service for the taxpayers.”

DeSena also thanked Bosworth and Wink for the work they have done throughout the town in previous years.

Wink, who received 21,922 votes, thanked everyone for their support during his campaign and said he extended his congratulations to DeSena for her victory.

“Although this election cycle did not go as I had hoped, I want to express my deep gratitude to my supporters, including my family, my team, my friends and my colleagues in government,” Wink wrote. “I have been in public service for much of my adult life and I plan to stay active and continue to give back to this community which I love.”

Republican Ragini Srivastava defeated Viviana Russell, a Democratic member of the Town Board, in the race for town clerk. According to the Board of Elections, Srivastava got 23,023 votes, while Russell received 21,215.

Democrat Robert Troiano defeated Republican Kerri Delio by more than 800 votes in the race to replace Russell on the Town Board in the 1st District. The Democrat received 3,097 votes to Delio’s 2,286.

Mineola Trustee Dennis Walsh defeated Democrat Christine Pusateri for the open Town Board seat in North Hempstead’s 3rd District. The seat is held by Republican Angelo Ferrara, who decided not to run for re-election. Walsh received 4,634 votes compared with Pusateri’s 2,988.

Republican David Adhami defeated Democrat Peter Fishkind in the race for Town Board in the 5th District. Adhami received 3,782 votes and Fishkind received 3,643.

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