With less than five months remaining before Glen Cove Mayor Tom Suozzi and New York State Assemblyman Tom DiNapoli face off in a primary for the Democratic nomination for Nassau County Executive, Suozzi has turned his attention toward the Democratic Convention, which is scheduled for next month. In order to assure a fair outcome, the Glen Cove Mayor announced, at a press conference on Tuesday, that he is calling for a secret ballot process for the convention.

"We are calling for a secret ballot so that people feel free to vote for whom they believe is the best candidate for county executive without fear of the current culture of intimidation that exists here in Nassau County," Suozzi said.

Suozzi believes those convention voters who either have politically appointed positions or know someone with a political appointed position may be hesitant to vote against DiNapoli in next month's convention since DiNapoli is the former county party chairman and is supported by current Nassau Democratic Chairman Larry Aaronson.

"Only through a secret ballot process can we be assured that the outcome of our convention reflects the free and open consideration of the party's membership, without coercion or the effects of cronyism," the Glen Cove Mayor said.

According to Suozzi, there will be about 1,400 votes cast at the Nassau Democratic Convention by committee members. Out of those votes, over 1,000 are somehow related to someone who has a job themselves or has a relative or acquaintance with a Board of Elections, the OTB or some other politically connected job in the county, Suozzi said.

Both Suozzi and his campaign chairman Jay Jacobs believe there are some who will be voting in the convention who will not come out and say they are supporting Suozzi. It is conceivable that such supporters would fear opposing the former Democratic Party chairman since such a move could compromise their standing in the party, the Suozzi camp believes. "People are concerned that they cannot take that chance. If people genuinely believe in open government and they don't believe in reprisals and they don't believe in intimidation, why not have a secret ballot? There's no reason not to do it," Suozzi said.

In response DiNapoli's campaign manager Darren Bloch issued a statement questioning Suozzi's motive for a secret ballot in the upcoming convention. "I get nervous when a candidate who is losing momentum suddenly calls for a change of the rules midstream. The question, if there is one, should be left to the impartial individuals involved - not those motivated toward political posturing and destructive discourse," he said.

Aaronson called Suozzi's proposal "un-democratic." The Nassau Democratic Party Chairman said committee members are elected representatives of Democrats in their election district and, therefore, should cast their votes in an open forum. "It is important that they cast their votes in the bright sunshine of an open convention. That's why our party bylaws have always required an open vote. Suggesting a change in our bylaws less than one month before a convention is an obvious attempt to add confusion and blur the results. A secret ballot by elected representatives would be un-democratic in the extreme," Aaronson said. "I'm stunned that Mayor Suozzi would even suggest that elected representatives cast secret ballots and hide their positions from their constituents. This indicates a serious misunderstanding of the way our democracy works. As a candidate for our county's highest office, he should know better."

Regardless of what happens in the party's convention, a primary is expected between DiNapoli and Suozzi on Sept. 11. The convention, however, will determine the designee of the Nassau Democratic organization. Petitions sent out from party headquarters will carry the name of the designee or convention winner. It is very possible for a candidate to lose the convention but win the primary. However, the Democratic convention is thought of as a barometer that measures a candidate's momentum.

"The Democratic designee convention is by no means critical," said Jacobs. "It really has no bearing on the ultimate outcome other than it makes it a little bit easier if you're the designee."

While Jacobs acknowledged that there isn't great advantage to winning at the convention since there will still be a primary, the push by the Suozzi camp for a secret ballot is about making a statement, according to Jacobs. If the Democratic party is going to be the party of change then it should start sending the message that there is no place for machine politics in Nassau County, Suozzi supporters believe.

Jacobs said he has personally witnessed convention elections where voters did not feel free to vote for who they felt was the best candidate. However, by conducting a secret ballot election, the Suozzi camp feels those who have received politically appointed positions would not be pressured into voting for one candidate over another. The vote, therefore, would be fair.

The Suozzi camp is suggesting the use of Nassau County voting machines at the convention or a paper ballot box for a secret ballot vote. "It can be done very quickly and easily. It's only a matter of having the will and desire to do it. There is no legal, logistic or practical reason why it cannot be done," said Jacobs.

Suozzi supporter and former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Lewis Yevoli believes the Democratic Party should stand for honest and open government and conducting a secret ballot vote is a way to ensure an honest and fair outcome. "We're not suggesting that anyone is overtly intimidating, but if you work for OTB and you realize your bosses are all for Tom DiNapoli, how do you expect the individual to cast his vote? We're not indicating that anyone's arm is twisted, but the fact of the matter is that if we have a secret ballot, Tom Suozzi would emerge from the convention as the clear candidate of the Nassau County Democratic Party," Yevoli said.

Suozzi said he was not suggesting that Aaronson, who is the president of OTB, or DiNapoli, the former Nassau Democratic chairman, would condone intimidating voters who have political appointed positions to vote a certain way. The Glen Cove Mayor said, however, that he does not believe everyone who will vote in the Democratic convention feels comfortable voting for whom they feel is the best candidate. "I believe that people of good will, people who are concerned about open and fair processes, people who want to break the machine politics of Nassau County will support the concept of a secret ballot so people can support who they believe the best candidate is without fear of reprisal," Suozzi said.

The Glen Cove Mayor did say, however, that there have been no specific threats or allegations that have been made against individuals by Aaronson, DiNapoli or DiNapoli's campaign. However, he said a convention with a secret ballot ensures the party that convention voters did not vote for one candidate over another because they felt pressured.

The DiNapoli camp believes the Democratic Party has stood for open and honest nominations and designations in the past and will continue to do so. "For over 50 years, the Democratic Party throughout the country has held open designating conventions to choose their candidates for office. From Presidents to small city mayors, the Democratic Party has stood for an open and honest nomination and designation process for our candidates to best capture the will and intent of the Party's elected committee members," Bloch said.

A spokesman for DiNapoli's campaign said the format currently used is the format for conventions and Suozzi also admitted that he knows of no convention that utilizes a secret ballot, although he said he would be researching to see if a precedent had been set.

DiNapoli recently wrote a letter to Democratic county committee members in which he addressed a recent telephone survey that asked members which candidate they would be supporting and whether they would support an anonymous ballot. In the letter, DiNapoli wrote, "As a member of the county committee, you occupy an important elected position within our party and thus you have a critical role in candidate selection. Secret ballots and other similar devices suggested by the phone survey only serve to subvert this open process and well-established party rules that ensure accuracy and integrity in choosing our candidates."

Whether the convention will have a secret ballot is something that will be negotiated between the Suozzi and DiNapoli camps as well as the Democratic Party. Suozzi said he would continue his push for secret ballots.