Tax Revolt Party is over

Republican Chris Browne will have one fewer tool to use in his bid to unseat incumbent Nassau County Legislator Joe Scannell (D-Baldwin) come November. And if some county Democrats have their way, Browne will be fighting a legal battle over allegations of fraud as well.

On Sept. 8, Browne’s Tax Revolt Party petition was withdrawn by Republicans after attorneys for the Democrats challenged it, claiming it was rife with “dead people, phony addresses and phony names.”

“They would have needed Jesus to rise from the dead in order for their petitions to be good,” said Steve Schlesinger, an attorney working as counsel for the Democrats, adding that they found 900 of 1,300 signatures to be invalid.

But William Biamonte, the county’s Democratic election commissioner, said Browne was not responsible for the names on the petition. "He's not personally liable because he didn't do the act," Biamonte said, referring to the collection of signatures. "A candidate is not personally responsible, but this seriously undermines Chris Browne's credibility.”

Nonetheless, some Democrats are calling for District Attorney Kathleen Rice to look into allegations of widespread fraud by Republicans and Browne, the 5th Legislative District challenger from Rockville Centre, charging that Browne knowingly oversaw the submission of a fraudulent Tax Revolt Party nominating petition.

“The claim of fraudulent signatures is a claim Democrats have made about every petition,” said Browne. “I didn’t get the signatures and I didn’t see the petitions ... my energy has been concentrated on winning the Conservative primary and going on to the general election.

“If they have evidence that someone did something inappropriate or illegal, they have every right to refer it for investigation,” Browne added. “I have no knowledge that that happened and there’s been no determination of that by any court or the Board of Elections.”