Former Malverne mayor wants party name changed

To the dismay of former Malverne Mayor Tony Panzarella, the village’s Independent Party will not be getting a name change anytime soon.

Panzarella submitted a letter to village clerk and Elections Commissioner Terry Emmel earlier this month asserting that the party’s name is in violation of election law because it is too similar to that of the national Independence Party. Emmel rejected the assertion and decided the name would stay as it has been for the last 87 years.

“I did not feel the name would cause confusion to our voters,” Emmel recently told the Herald, adding that the party’s official name is Independent Party of Malverne. “I did not feel there was a conflict.”

But to Panzarella, a member of Malverne’s Taxpayers Party and an Independence Party committeeman, the conflict is clear: the local party’s association with the larger organization is working to its advantage — and the Taxpayers Party’s disadvantage. 

“They’re getting the benefit of people thinking they’re a national and a state-wide party,” he said, “and basically, they’re just a small little local party, and that gives them greater credibility as a political party to the detriment of my party, which is a small little local party, and we don’t ever try to pretend to be anything else.”

Malverne Mayor Patricia McDonald took offense at the jab, saying her party has never “pretended” to be anything. In fact, she said party members take pride in the history of the party and its past members, including her father, the late John Norris, who once served as a board trustee.

“There’s so much history there and for [Panzarella] to want to erase that and have our name changed … personally, I’m really hurt,” McDonald said. “Why didn’t he come to us and sit down with us instead of writing that letter?”

Many people who have played major roles in the village were party members, McDonald said, including Fran Purcell, former village mayor, Hempstead Town supervisor and Nassau County executive. Others have strong ties to the party and continuously work to support its efforts — among them Audrey Morrow, an octogenarian whose late husband, Stewart Morrow, served as mayor for a period.

“And now Tony Panzarella just wants to get rid of it?” McDonald said. “I have to tell you, I’m just really upset. And of all times to do this. We’ve been the Independent Party for how long and now — how ironic that he’s doing it right before the election.”

The village election will take place on March 15. McDonald is running unopposed for her seat, along with Deputy Mayor James Callahan III and Trustee Michael Bailey, both Independent Party members. Panzarella is supporting John Hassett Jr., a Malverne Tea Party member who is running for a trustee seat.

“He’s a very intelligent man, he’s a physician, he has a young family. He has deep, deep roots — he spent his whole life in Malverne and intends to stay there, so he has a big stake in Malverne, and that’s the kind of person that I like to see active in village politics,” Panzarella said of Hassett, whose parents, John and Carol Hassett, are well-known active community members. 

“[Hassett] has the courage to step forward and be counted and step up to the plate and run for office,” Panzarella added. “A lot of people will complain, but never try to do anything about anything they see wrong. But he does.”

Just as Panzarella has personal reasons for supporting Hassett Jr., even though they belong to two different parties, Malverne residents have personal reasons for voting for their representatives, according to Emmel. “The party name isn’t what important around here — it’s the candidate,” she said.

Emmel admitted that the decision not to rename the party did not come easily to her, but, she said, “I just couldn’t see throwing out a name that has so much history.”

Panzarella said that Emmel’s reasoning for rejecting his challenge was “very strained and kind of concocted.” He said Emmel told him that the Independent Party is not likely to cause confusion because there is no Independence Party candidate on the ballot. In response, the former mayor said, “Huh? How about the people who might think they were voting for the New York State Independence Party when they pull the lever for the Independent Party candidate?”

Panzarella has appealed Emmel’s decision to the Nassau County Board of Elections and is awaiting a ruling.