State court rules on two LI candidates

The state's highest court Wednesday handed a victory to one candidate trying to stay on the ballot in Huntington, but quashed the candidacy of another seeking to run in Brookhaven.

The state Court of Appeals in Albany determined that Gene Cook will be on the ballot for Huntington Town Board as a Republican in this fall's elections, even though he isn't enrolled in the party. The court dismissed a challenge by Republican Vivienne Wong, who claimed party leaders didn't follow proper procedures when they authorized Cook -- an Independence Party member -- to run on the GOP line.

"I knew the Republicans had done it right and I never had any doubt that I would be on the ballot," Cook, of Greenlawn, said. "The court decided that should be the case, so I'm very happy about it."

Wong said she stands by what she alleged in her lawsuit.

"I have real concerns about future party nominations," Wong said. "The committee people were never notified of new business regarding voting on a nonenrolled member. Party chair leaders are supposed to give notice and they didn't."

Town GOP party chair Toni Tepe said Wong is entitled to her opinion.

"She should respect the decisions that have been," Tepe said. "The latest court decision substantiates we did do things properly."

In a separate case, the court ended Ira Bernstein's bid to run as a Democrat for Brookhaven Town Board.

Bernstein, a Democrat, had filed a petition to run and initially gathered nearly 600 signatures. But a review found just 498 valid signatures -- two short of the minimum needed, according to court spokesman Gary Spencer.

Bernstein asked the state's highest court to hear his appeal to have more of his petition signatures counted as valid. The court declined.

In both cases, the Court of Appeals upheld midlevel court rulings.