Shawn Cullinane eyed as GOP write-in candidate for Assembly

Babylon GOP officials are eyeing veteran Lindenhurst Village administrator Shawn Cullinane as their possible write-in candidate in a Republican Assembly primary Sept. 13.

Republicans scrambled to gather 1,100 signatures on petitions for an Opportunity to Ballot, which will allow Republicans to write in a person to become the official candidate on the GOP ballot in the November election.

The GOP made the move because freshman Democratic Assemb. Kimberly Jean-Pierre is facing a primary from Jordan Wilson. Should Wilson win the primary, it would create a three-way race, as Jean-Pierre is guaranteed a place on the November ballot on the Working Families and Women’s Equality ballot lines.

“I’m interested in it. I’m pleased my name is being considered and I believed there is some opportunity there,” said Cullinane, 63, and village administrator for 28 years.

“I guess Shawn is taking the old adage ‘If at first you don’t succeed’ to new heights since he has already lost six or seven times in trying to win elected office,” said Richard Schaffer, Suffolk Democratic chairman, who beat Cullinane for Babylon Town supervisor in 1995.