District Clerk: No Candidates File for School Board Election

The Massapequa School District is set to run a school board election on May 21 with no candidates on the ballot.

The 5 p.m. deadline passed Monday without any candidate filing the necessary papers to become a candidate for the one open seat this year.

“We did not receive petitions in a timely manner,“ district Clerk Anne Marie Bellizzi told Patch. Bellizzi said that incumbent Tim Taylor did come to the school district’s offices, but arrived five minutes after the deadline passed.

Taylor, who currently serves as the district Vice President, had mulled not running for re-election. 

Taylor told Patch he changed his mind when he heard that Superintendent Charles Sulc was retiring and will be replaced by Lucille Iconis, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. 

"I felt it was important to give the new superintendent all the help possible during her transition," he said. "I have utmost respect for her."

Bellizzi said he was the only person who picked up nominating petitions from the district.  

"My intent was to get the petitions in after work and unfortunately everything that could break down did and that resulted in me getting the petitions in five minutes late," Taylor said.

Although the district, which is the largest in Nassau County, has has no official candidates, the election will proceed as scheduled, with residents being allowed to write-in the names of candidates, Bellizzi said. Voters will also decide if they will approve the proposed school budget.

Taylor told Patch he would like to be considered as a write-in candidate.

The district clerk, who will oversee the election said she was reaching out to  school  district lawyers to get more information about the vote.

The status of the May 1, “Meet the Candidates” night at Massapequa High School was also not immediately clear.