Suffolk elections board suspends worker for misrepresenting himself

The Suffolk Board of Elections suspended a worker for two days for misrepresenting himself to Green Party voters while collecting petition signatures for Republican judicial candidates, a board source said last week.

Republican Elections Commissioner Nicholas LaLota confirmed that the office will create a policy prohibiting workers from representing themselves as board employees when collecting signatures on their own time.

“My office’s review of the situation confirmed no taxpayer funded resources were used in the collection of petition signatures,” LaLota said in a statement. “Going forward, my office will promulgate a policy restricting Board employees, many of whom volunteer their personal time to collect petition signatures, from representing themselves as Board employees when not acting in an official capacity.”

Newsday reported last month that Green Party voters accused Republicans of hijacking their lines in upcoming judicial races by claiming to be working for the Green Party or with the board of elections.

The election board source would not identify the employee who was suspended or specify whether the suspension was with or without pay.

Pauline Salotti, chairwoman of the Suffolk County Green Party, said the punishment was too light for workers who tricked voters and the individual suspended should be publicly identified.

“To be suspended for a couple days, it’s definitely not harsh enough. It’s a slap on the wrist,” Salotti said.

Wendy Polhemus-Annibell of Laurel has said Board of Elections worker William Mann left a voicemail at her home in which he claimed to work for the Green Party and approached multiple Green Party voters on the East End. Mann did not return a call for comment.

Polhemus-Annibell, a librarian, said she didn’t believe a two-day suspension was enough but was pleased at the new policy. “The punishment doesn’t fit the crime, but at least they’re doing something,” she said.

Green Party officials said Democrats and Republicans both have become bolder about taking the Green Party line under state election laws that allow candidates to run on multiple ballot lines, sometimes without a party’s permission.

The Green Party only supports its own members or candidates who are not registered with any political party and adhere to their anti-war, pro-environment and social justice platform.

The Republican judicial candidates who ended up getting on the Green Party line in November are Tara Scully for Surrogate's Court, Steven A. Pilewski for County Court and Richard Hoffman for Family Court.

By David M. Schwartz

dschwar1@newsday.comschwartznewsNY

David Schwartz covers environmental issues. A native Long Islander, he's worked at Newsday since 2013.