Elections board rules in favor of Flower Hill party

Rose Weldon
Flower Hill's mayoral race consists of Liberty Party candidate and Trustee Kate Hirsch (left) and Flower Hill Party candidate Mayor Brian Herrington. (Photos courtesy of the Liberty Party and the Flower Hill Party)

The Flower Hill Party’s nominating petitions have been deemed valid by the Nassau County Board of Elections after an objection was filed last week by the rival Liberty Party.

Attorney Kate Maguire Hirsch, who has served on the Flower Hill Board of Trustees for three years and is running for mayor under the Liberty Party, had filed an objection with the village on Feb. 18 alleging that, among other things, Ronnie Shatzkamer, the village administrator and chief election officer, was “colluding” with the Flower Hill Party and that sitting mayor and Flower Hill Party trustee candidate Robert McNamara “witnessed” signatures to his own petition that witnesses say were “not affixed in his presence.”

Tuesday saw the Nassau County Board of Elections overturn the objection and rule in favor of the Flower Hill Party, the board confirmed.

Deputy Mayor Brian Herrington, mayoral candidate of the Flower Hill Party, said the board was grateful “to hear the Board of Elections swiftly overturned these objections.”

“We hope that Kate Hirsch and the Liberty Party’s slate of candidates will stop their political grandstanding and attempt to impede the will of voters,” Herrington said. “The Flower Hill Party looks forward to letting our residents decide who runs the Village by discussing our plan to build on a track record of success including lowering the tax rate in four of the last six years, providing quality services and investing in our infrastructure.”

Hirsch said she would not comment until she read the ruling in its entirety. She had not been given the minutes, but did say that she filed an ethics committee charge against numerous public officials.

The Liberty Party slate includes trustee candidates Jay Silverman, Jeffrey Greilsheimer and Diane Turner.

The slate will go up against representatives of the Flower Hill Party, which include sitting Trustees Randall Rosenbaum and Gary Lewandowski, in addition to McNamara, for trustee positions.

The Village of Flower Hill’s election will take place on March 18, from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

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