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Montano plays spoilsport at Nolan's party

Rick Brand on Long Island; James T. Madore in Albany; Celeste Hadrick on Long Island;

May 5, 2008

UNWELCOME SERVER

Montano crashes a Nolan party

Suffolk Legis. Ricardo Montano showed up at Islip Supervisor Philip Nolan's $300-per-head fundraiser at Gatsby's - but supporting the supervisor wasn't the main reason for his appearance.

Montano did shake Nolan's hand as he entered the party last Monday. Then the lawmaker asked the supervisor if his brother George, counsel to the Suffolk Legislature, was there. Montano then walked over to George Nolan - and had a companion serve him with court papers, in a bid to stop a vote on a controversial immigration bill.

Montano got a temporary restraining order the next day.

Montano said he had "no choice" but to serve the papers at the fundraiser because the county attorney's office in court late Monday said it could not represent the legislature on the issue. As a result, Montano had to give notice to the legislature's attorney before the court hearing Tuesday morning.

The worst thing for Nolan: Montano did not even pay his $300 at the door.

- Rick Brand on Long Island

NO STATE OFFICE BID

Mejias will stay put

If Nassau Legis. David Mejias wants to run for State Senate, he will have to wage a primary.

Jay Jacobs, Nassau Democratic chairman, said the party will be giving the nomination to Kristen McElroy, 38, a Garden City attorney and mother of three, who is making her first run to take on Republican State Senate veteran Kemp Hannon.

Mejias had moved into Hannon's district in time to qualify him to run, but was snubbed by the party leaders after angering Jacobs by withholding support for a pay raise for county lawmakers.

Reached Friday, Mejias said that he will not mount a challenge for the nomination, will support the party's candidate, and will "focus 100 percent on the Nassau Legislature."

The party will also name Hofstra University ethics professor Roy Simon, 58, of West Hempstead, to take on State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre). The county Democrats' convention will be May 29 at the Cradle of Aviation in Garden City.

- Rick Brand on Long Island

THE PATERSON WATCH

Gov. David A. Paterson struck a blow for free speech last week, signing into law a bill protecting writers from foreign libel judgments. The measure, sponsored by State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Assemb. Rory Lancman (D-Flushing), bars state courts from enforcing the foreign libel ruling unless that country has the same speech protections as the United States, or better. The bill also expands a writer's ability to have a court declare the foreign libel judgment invalid in New York.

The legislation stems from the case of author Rachel Ehrenfeld, of Manhattan, who lost a libel suit brought in Britain by Saudi banker Khalid bin Mahfouz. Her book "Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed - and How to Stop It" alleged that he financed Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida.

Paterson said, "New Yorkers must be able to speak out on issues of public concern without living in fear that they will be sued ... under legal standards inconsistent with our First Amendment."

Skelos agreed, adding, "the truth is a critically important component of the war on terror."

- James T. Madore in Albany

TODAY ON THE BLOG

Not only did County Assessor Harvey Levinson challenge his own property tax assessment this year, so did two members of Nassau's Assessment Review Commission, the separate agency that decides tax grievances. Commission Chairman John Peguillan said typically several of the seven commissioners each year challenge the assessments. This year, he said, Jeff Gold of Bellmore and Lenora Long of Hempstead disclosed they had challenged their property values. Gold said his home was valued $60,000 higher on average than any other on his street. "ARC encourages everybody to grieve their taxes when they think they are over-assessed," Gold said. Long could not be reached. Peguillan said commissioners do not weigh their own challenges. Instead, a computer analyzes the probability of over-assessment. If the assessment is in line, the challenge is denied, but if the computer flags it, an independent company would appraise the home. - Celeste Hadrick on Long Island

NAKED AMBITION

Which was the most fevered lunge for self-promotion? Vote at newsday.com/spincycle.

1. Former Democratic National Committee chairman and delegate Joe Andrew abandoning the candidacy of Sen. Hillary Clinton and saying he expected to be attacked for it.

2. Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh downplaying expectations about his help for ally Clinton in Tuesday's primary, saying: "My connection to the people of Indiana is personal, it's close. But it's hard to transfer that."

3. Rep. Vito Fossella (R-Staten Island) saying after his drunken driving arrest: "Last night, I made an error in judgment."

Last week's skewed results: Seven L.I. assemblymen, 53.3 percent; L.I. county executives, 26.7 percent; Thomas Spota, 20 percent.