Saddle Rock Mayor Dan Levy kicked off ballot after Nassau Board of Elections ruling

Longtime Saddle Rock Mayor Dan Levy, two trustees and the village's justice were knocked off the ballot before next week's contest after the Nassau County Board of Elections invalidated the slate's petitions.

The ruling blocked four incumbents from running for reelection on March 18: Levy, the mayor since 2011; trustees Hal Chadow and Afshin Tavakoly; and Village Justice Julia Gavriel, who was running unopposed. The four incumbents filed nominating petitions under the Saddle Rock Village Party. 

The Nassau County Board of Elections said the slate's petitions were invalid because there were no witness signatures on six of eight pages.

Robert Kraus, a village trustee, will run against Kambiz Akhavan for the open seat.

Saddle Rock is one of several villages and hamlets on the Great Neck peninsula and has a population of just under 1,000, according to U.S. Census data. 

Attorney Gary Donoyan represents Kraus; trustee candidates Martine Alter, Vivian Kollenscher and Sigalit Sanilevich; and David Alter, who objected to the petitions and is the husband of Martine Alter.

He said the issue with the petitions "speaks for itself." 

Donoyan said the objection did not seek Gavriel. But the Nassau County Board of Elections ruled that the entire slate's petition was invalid, he said. 

Levy declined to comment. But in a letter to village residents, he framed his absence from the ballot as a personal choice.

"As we approached this election cycle, it became clear to me that my candidacy risked becoming a distraction from the broader priorities and future of the Village," Levy wrote. "For that reason, I have decided not to seek reelection for the Office of Mayor at this time."

Chadow, during a phone interview, said the ruling was "ridiculous" but declined to comment further. 

Justice race a write-in

State election law requires candidates to collect signatures from 5% of total voters, as of the most recent village election. This year's requirement was 39 signatures. Levy's slate filed 80 signatures, and 60 of them were invalidated, according to the Board of Elections.

"To me, it was a little bit confusing," Tavakoly said in an interview. "The problem was that we didn't see [that] the line is there. It didn't mention that it needs to have a signature at the bottom. I think that's why they missed it."

There is no justice candidate on the ballot.

Gavriel, in a text message, said she "would be honored to serve" as the village justice if residents wrote her in.

Levy was appointed mayor in 2011 after the death of Mayor J. Leonard Samansky. The following year, Levy was assaulted by a resident after an argument outside of village hall, police alleged. Testimony during the trial prompted a probe to determine if Levy had misappropriated village funds, Newsday reported. The Nassau District Attorney's Office later cleared Levy, and no charges were filed.

Synagogue emerges as issue

Kraus, 66, a trustee for the past 18 months, said Levy had been running the village like a "fiedom" and pledged to return transparency back to village hall.

Kraus was critical of the village's decision to approve a special use permit to rebuild the Saddle Rock Minyan, which was badly damaged in a 2024 fire on Yom Kippur. Candles were left burning on the front porch and sparked a fire, fire officials said at the time. The synagogue had run out of a house on Greenleaf Hill.

The vote was 4-1, with Kraus casting the only no vote. He said he didn't think it was "appropriate to have a large synagogue with a congregation of hundreds operating out of a home in the middle of a residential village."

Akhavan, as well as trustee candidates Joshua Rabanipour and Kousha Askari, are all running on the Friendly Neighbors Party line. The trio could not be reached for comment. 

Martine Alter and Vivian Kollenscher are running for trustee as part of the Concerned Residents of Saddle Rock slate. There are two trustee seats up for grabs. Each are for four-year terms.

Sigalit Sanilevich is running unopposed to finish the year left on another trustee term.

Lawyers for the synagogue had lauded the permit approval. They said the construction will not expand on the size of the former synagogue.

"Houses of worship like Saddle Rock Minyan are entitled to rebuild and serve their congregants free from unlawful obstacles, especially after such a devastating loss," Muhammad Faridi, the minyan's Manhattan-based attorney, said in a statement.