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Suffolk: Assemb. Ramos rival ruled off the ballot


45 m ago By Dan Janison

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/spin-cycle-1.812042/suffolk-assemb-ramos-rival-ruled-off-the-ballot-1.2195654


Giovanni Mata, former chairman of Suffolk Executive Steve Levy’s Hispanic Advisory Committee, has been ruled off the ballot in his effort to mount a primary challenge against Assemb. Phil Ramos (D-Central Islip).

The Suffolk Board of Elections notified Mata last week that it determined Ramos’ challenges were sufficient to invalidate Mata’s petitions. Earlier, other questions were raised about Mata’s residency, but that wasn’t at issue here.

Ramos said he welcomes challenges from other candidates, and so did not go after the petitions of another rival in the race. But in Mata’s case, he said, “If one aspires be an elected official creating laws I think it’s fundamental that they abide by the laws. These rules are basic to our democracy and he didn’t qualify. So the process, in the end, found that his candidacy was not valid.”