Nassau candidates make final pitches

All 19 seats in the Nassau County Legislature are up for grabs, and candidates in some of the tightest races made their final pitch to voters Saturday.

From early morning until well after dark, candidates running on only a few hours of sleep blanketed their districts with literature, knocked on doors and rallied supporters.

Turnout in Tuesday's off-year election is expected to be low, and observers say races could be decided by a few hundred votes.

One of the most closely watched contests is in the 3rd District, where Democrat Carrie Solages is challenging incumbent Republican John Ciotti.

Saturday morning, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), community volunteers and Democratic leaders joined Solages for a rally outside his Elmont campaign office.

"This race is about common sense reform," Solages told the crowd as supporters waved signs at passing cars. "And it's time to try something new."

Across the district in Franklin Square, the mood was more structured as dozens of Ciotti supporters, young and old, stuffed envelopes and prepared campaign booklets.

Ciotti said the race comes down to a pledge by Republicans not to raise taxes.

"This is a blue-collar neighborhood," he said. "And they can't afford to pay one dollar more on their tax bill."

Registration in the ethnically diverse district is heavily Democratic, but Ciotti has won the seat eight consecutive terms.

The race made headlines last month when a Ciotti volunteer was seen on video making derogatory remarks about minorities outside Solages' office. Solages, the son of Haitian immigrants, is black. Ciotti responded by banning the volunteer from his campaign.

While Democrats see Ciotti's seat as a potential pickup, Republicans are eyeing the 5th District, represented for the past 12 years by Democrat Joe Scannell. Republicans now hold an 11-8 advantage over Democrats in the legislature.

The election is a rematch of the race in 2009, when Scannell defeated Republican Christian Browne by less than 400 votes. Both sides anticipate another close contest.

Browne spent much of Saturday walking the streets of Rockville Centre, making his case to residents as they left for soccer games or returned home from the grocery store.

"There is a tremendous sense of angst from people on how they are going to survive and thrive with taxes so high in this county," Browne said.

But Scannell, campaigning with his family in front of the Waldbaum's on Atlantic Avenue in Baldwin, said voters are also upset about the potential closure of two police precincts in the county and privatization of Long Island Bus.

"It's not just one issue," Scannell said. "People are upset about the direction the county is heading in."

There are about 3,000 more registered Democrats than Republicans in the 5th District.