Former 19th Senatorial District Candidate Sam Pierre‘s crafty election lawyer Aaron Maslow says his client has every legal right to run again for public office, disputing Kings County Democratic Law Chair Frank Carone, who insists that Pierre can’t run for five years due to his misdemeanor breach of public trust conviction.
The matter was brought to public attention last week after the story of Pierre’s conviction was leaked to the New York Post, just days before the Working Families Party was close to endorsing Pierre against Kings County Democratic Party Boss Frand Seddio‘s choice, Assemblywoman Roxanne Persaud, for the 19th Senate District seat. The seat opened up with the felony corruption conviction of former Sen. John Sampson, paving the way for a special election on Nov. 3.
After learning of the Pierre conviction the WFP decided not to endorse anybody, which all but guarantees Persaud a win in the heavily Democratic district. Seddio denied either he nor Carone planted the story.
However, Carone and other Party officials also maintain that Pierre would be barred for running for any election for five years due to a provision in the law that says perspective candidates can run for office with misdemeanor convictions except if it’s a conviction for breach of public trust.
Pierre’s conviction stems from a pay-for-immigration services scam while he worked for former Congressman Ed Townes. The incident occurred in 2008 when Pierre was 23, but he wasn’t convicted until 2014.
Maslow said the law barring anyone from running for five years was part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2014 initiative to stem the heavy flow of corruption in Albany. The law was passed after Pierre was convicted and therefore it would not apply in this case, Maslow said.
If Maslow’s contention holds in court, this puts Pierre in line to run for Seddio’s old 59th District Assembly seat in Canarsie, which will become open with the election of Persaud. It could also set up a Brooklyn election rumble for the ages between old-school political boss, Seddio, and his prodigal son, Pierre, who came of political age at Seddio’s knees as a former member of his Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club.
While Carone hasn’t filed to stop Pierre from running for the assembly seat, he is poised to do so if he declares.
“He (Maslow) is entitled to his view. A judge will have to decide and if he is correct (which he isn’t) the voters will,” said Carone in an emailed statement.
Pierre didn’t return calls at post time.
