Lawsuit: Suffolk Legislature candidate Sidney Joyner doesn't live in district
Sidney Joyner, Democratic candidate for Suffolk County Legislature District 16, does not live in the newly redrawn district, according to a lawsuit seeking to block him from the ballot. Credit: James Escher
A lawsuit seeks to block Democrat Sidney Joyner from running for Suffolk County Legislature, alleging he does not live in the newly drawn 16th Legislative District.
Joyner, of Huntington, is challenging Legis. Manuel Esteban (R-East Northport) in the November general election. The lawsuit filed by Alvin White, a Republican voter from Huntington Station, says Joyner isn't a resident of the district, which covers parts of West Hills, Huntington Station, South Huntington, Elwood and Brentwood.
In a brief interview, Joyner said: "I'll be in the district at the time of the vote" and added he is buying a home there.
The county legislature last year approved new legislative maps for the next decade, beginning with the Nov. 7 election.
The lawsuit cites Suffolk County charter which says candidates for county legislature must have lived in the district for at least one year before an election, and be a resident of the area when the party nominates them to run.
The charter does not affect incumbents who, after a redistricting, no longer live in the area they were elected to represent, according the lawsuit.
A hearing is scheduled Sept. 12 at Suffolk County Supreme Court.
Steven Losquadro, attorney for the plaintiff and counsel to the Suffolk County Republican Committee, said Joyner is in "clear violation of the Suffolk County charter."
Keith Davies, a spokesman for the Suffolk County Democratic Committee, called the challenge a "frivolous lawsuit that's not going to go anywhere." He did not directly respond to the lawsuit's county charter allegations.
He said Republicans should have challenged Joyner's candidacy months ago, after he first filed his petition.
"They had 14 days after Sidney Joyner was on the petition and submitted his signatures to be on the ballot, and that is the amount of time to challenge an issue like this," he said, referring to New York election law that addresses whether a candidate has enough valid signatures to qualify.
But Losquadro said the lawsuit "relates to a candidate's qualifications as established by the county charter."
The lawsuit says the county's election board has until Sept. 14 to determine the candidates. Until then, the list is unofficial, according to the lawsuit.
The legal tangle comes as the county's political parties begin their final push of the election season, with control of county government at stake. All 18 legislative seats are up for election, and for the first time in 12 years there is no incumbent running for county executive.
Republicans are hoping to keep their legislative majority and take back the county executive's office, where Democrat Steve Bellone is term-limited.
Scott Eidler covers Nassau County government and politics for Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.
