Says candidate misled voters

To the Editor:

I would like to respond to the letter recently sent by the 3rd L.D. candidate Nina Petraro Bastardi (“Thanks from 3rd L.D. candidate,” Nov. 12-18). During any election period, you hear many topics on the candidates and you have to determine what information is factual, and what is fictional. From some of the information I heard, if true, I would like to know how the Democratic Party even allowed her to run as part of their ticket.

Petraro Bastardi supposedly stated that she lived her whole life in Valley Stream, yet she grew up in East Rockaway. She was president of the young Republicans of Nassau County, and was vice president of the Republican Club of Valley Stream up until about six months ago, before switching and running as a Democrat. Just maybe, the Republican Party did not feel she was qualified to run for office at this time.

She has stated that she cares about the people in the 3rd L.D., but up until six months ago, she had lived in the 6th L.D on Ann Street in Valley Stream for about two years, and still owns a home there. She moved into her father-in-law’s house on Dean Street to be eligible to run, by showing residency in the 3rd L.D., while maintaining her house in the 6th L. D. Someone please educate me on how she could have thought she could represent the people in the 3rd L.D. while maintaining a home in the 6th L.D. There seem to be to many untruths or misinformation coming out about this candidate, and it is all very disturbing.

She states that she looks forward to working with John Ciotti, but she doesn’t live in his district, and still ran against him, in a district other than the one in which she resides. There seems to be a problem with this. I live in the 3rd L.D. and do not want someone who doesn’t live in the 3rd L.D. to represent me because that seems fraudulent. If she ever decides to run for office again, and if I find out the information I have heard is true, I feel I will be compelled to become extremely active to make sure her untruths or misinformation become known. I firmly believe that her running for office the way she did was a total travesty.

Remember, during any election period, you have to try to separate the truths from the untruths on any candidate, and finding out the truths sometimes is very hard and it may not be received in a timely fashion. I feel the Democratic party should be held responsible for misleading all the honest residents in the 3rd L.D. Maybe there should be apologies given to the people because it seems both the candidate and the Democratic party attempted to grossly mislead the residents in the 3rd L.D.

Richard Graves
Valley Stream