*snicker*
06-15-2005, 01:54 PM
A kitchen supervisor at the Nassau jail says he has ousted the president of the county's largest municipal union, who had been honored as woman of the year this spring by the Nassau Democratic Party.
Jerry Laricchiuta said he beat incumbent Jane D'Amico by a ratio of more than 2-1 after nearly 4,300 ballots cast by members of the Nassau Civil Service Employees Association were counted Monday.
D'Amico acknowledged Tuesday that Laricchiuta received 2,970 votes to her 1,267. She declined however to concede defeat until the election is certified on June 24.
"She may not concede defeat, but I'm announcing victory," Laricchiuta responded. He said he will take over as president of the 9,300-member union on July 2.
D'Amico was criticized by some for being too close to Democrat County Executive Thomas Suozzi and his party.
Minority Leader Peter J. Schmitt (R-Massapequa) recently got in a shouting match with D'Amico outside the legislative chambers, accusing her of being in Suozzi's pocket. He also mocked her when she complained to the county legislature that the union had not been informed of a Suozzi initiative that would affect members' jobs.
D'Amico said Tuesday she has held various union offices for 25 years, and "I've never been in anyone's pocket." She added that every recent CSEA president had been accused of being too close to the then-administration.
D'Amico, who had been executive vice president of the union, became president in October 2002 after then union chief Anthony Giustino resigned. This was her first bid for election to the post.
Laricchiuta, who has worked for the county since 1994, said he thought it was "improper" for the Democratic Party to boost D'Amico's election chances by honoring her in the middle of the campaign.
"That's ridiculous," D'Amico said. "It has nothing to do with the election. It has to do with your contributions to labor."
Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said he hadn't paid any attention to the union election cycle when he decided to honor D'Amico. "She was a very hard-working union leader who I think did a very good job for her members. She is a Democrat. She's a good person. We honor good people," he said.
Insiders say D'Amico angered union members by approving Suozzi's proposed move of the county social services department into a building they considered too small, by allowing layoffs at Nassau University Medical Center, and by agreeing that new hires there have to pay 15 percent of their health benefit premiums for five years.
D'Amico responded that she fought the social services move until the legislature approved it and that she saved 150 jobs that had been on the chopping block at the medical center and was able to prevent future layoffs.
Jerry Laricchiuta said he beat incumbent Jane D'Amico by a ratio of more than 2-1 after nearly 4,300 ballots cast by members of the Nassau Civil Service Employees Association were counted Monday.
D'Amico acknowledged Tuesday that Laricchiuta received 2,970 votes to her 1,267. She declined however to concede defeat until the election is certified on June 24.
"She may not concede defeat, but I'm announcing victory," Laricchiuta responded. He said he will take over as president of the 9,300-member union on July 2.
D'Amico was criticized by some for being too close to Democrat County Executive Thomas Suozzi and his party.
Minority Leader Peter J. Schmitt (R-Massapequa) recently got in a shouting match with D'Amico outside the legislative chambers, accusing her of being in Suozzi's pocket. He also mocked her when she complained to the county legislature that the union had not been informed of a Suozzi initiative that would affect members' jobs.
D'Amico said Tuesday she has held various union offices for 25 years, and "I've never been in anyone's pocket." She added that every recent CSEA president had been accused of being too close to the then-administration.
D'Amico, who had been executive vice president of the union, became president in October 2002 after then union chief Anthony Giustino resigned. This was her first bid for election to the post.
Laricchiuta, who has worked for the county since 1994, said he thought it was "improper" for the Democratic Party to boost D'Amico's election chances by honoring her in the middle of the campaign.
"That's ridiculous," D'Amico said. "It has nothing to do with the election. It has to do with your contributions to labor."
Nassau Democratic chairman Jay Jacobs said he hadn't paid any attention to the union election cycle when he decided to honor D'Amico. "She was a very hard-working union leader who I think did a very good job for her members. She is a Democrat. She's a good person. We honor good people," he said.
Insiders say D'Amico angered union members by approving Suozzi's proposed move of the county social services department into a building they considered too small, by allowing layoffs at Nassau University Medical Center, and by agreeing that new hires there have to pay 15 percent of their health benefit premiums for five years.
D'Amico responded that she fought the social services move until the legislature approved it and that she saved 150 jobs that had been on the chopping block at the medical center and was able to prevent future layoffs.