13th A.D.: Lavine's challenger tangles with weekly over access

Assemb. Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove) has written nine columns this year in the Glen Cove Record-Pilot – and Robert Germino, his Republican challenger, says he wants to have his say, too.

 But Anton Community Newspapers, which owns the Record-Pilot and 17 other local weeklies, won’t let Germino submit columns or letters. The company says it won't take opinion pieces from candidates for office, but lets elected officials write on government issues until three weeks before Election Day. "We are rejecting politicized columns," Anton management said in a statement.

 Germino has made the company policy a campaign issue, ripped Anton repeatedly and – in a piece submitted to Glen Cove Patch, a local website – called on Lavine to give up his column. “It’s doing a disservice to the community,” Germino said in an interview.

 In response, Anton accused Germino of ignoring interview requests for its news pages. Germino says he’ll only talk to Anton reporters if he can submit opinion pieces.

 Meanwhile, Lavine says he won’t give up his column. “I don’t fight with one hand tied behind my back,” he said.