GOP captures all but one county judgeship

Evan Nemeroff

With the Democratic party winning the major three elections statewide for governor, comptroller and attorney general, the Nassau County Republican Committee was still victorious on Election Day by winning all but one seat that was available for a state or county judgeship position.

The Republicans claimed eight seats in five different judgeship elections, while Helen Voutsinas was the only Democrat who won with a victory in the race for Nassau County 2nd District Court.

“Nassau Republicans had a great night,” said Anthony Santino, a spokesman for the Nassau County Republican Committee in a Newsday story. “It was a solid grass-root effort by the Republican organization, from the leaders on down, to get voters to the polls for the election.”

In a race watched particularly closely, Edward McCarty III defeated incumbent John Riordan for Surrogate Court Judge. McCarty III, 64 from Bellerose Terrace, edged out East Williston incumbent John Riordan 175,559 votes to Riordan’s 170,730 votes. The Surrogate Court hears cases involving the affairs of people who have died, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates. It also handles adoptions.

“‘Winning the Surrogate Court is a very critical position,” Santino said. “That is something we’re very happy about.”

McCarty has been a Nassau County Supreme Court judge since 1992. He was also a District Court judge and an assistant district attorney for 13 years.

Riordan, who was the Surrogate Court judge for the last 10 years, was a Nassau County District Court judge in the Town of North Hempstead from 1994 to 2000. He also worked as an attorney for 24 years at three different law firms including Wingate & Cullen from 1984 to 1993, Ferris Bangs Davis Trafford & Syz from 1937 to 1984 and Montfort Healy McGuire & Salley from 1969 to 1973. Riordan was also a tax accountant at Arthur Andersen & Co. for two years.

The East Williston native is a former member of the village’s planning board and he also was a former member of the East Williston Fire Department.

In other judgeship elections, Republicans Daniel Palmieri, Andrew Crecca, W. Gerard Asher and Norman Janowitz won the four seats that were available in the state Supreme Court for a 14-year term where no justice may serve beyond the year in which he or she turns 70 unless they are certified as a retired justice by the Administrative Board of the Courts. Janowitz claimed the last seat by receiving 339,706 votes, which was 20,000 more votes than the nearest Democratic candidate Sondra Pardes.

Republican Merik Aaron won the election for Family Court judge by defeating his opponent Adam Small by 19,000 votes.

In the Nassau County 4th District Court judge race, Republican Margaret Reilly beat Joseph Terino Jr. by more than 24,000 votes.

The only Democrat to win a judgeship election was Helen Voutsinas, who earned one of two seats in Nassau County’s 2nd District Court with 98,256 votes. Republican David McAndrews received the most votes in this election with 102,189, while fellow Republican Eric Bjorneby lost to Voutsinas by 4,000 votes.

Phone calls and e-mails to the Nassau County Democratic Committee were not answered by the party.

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