Sillitti Declares Victory Over Srivastava In Assembly District 16

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — After trailing Republican opponent Ragini Srivastava by about 4,000 votes on Election Day, Democrat Gina Sillitti declared victory Wednesday in the Assembly District 16 race to fill the seat of outgoing Assemblyman Anthony D'Urso, who decided not to seek re-election.

In an emailed statement to Patch, Sillitti said she was grateful to have the confidence of the voters.

"I’m ready to get to work to help Long Islanders overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild our economy, and unify our community," she said. "Thank you also to the election workers that worked the long hours to make this election happen for all of us and ensure every vote was counted. This was an unprecedented election and they are the unsung heroes still working every day."

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee, congratulated Sillitti in a statement and said Sillitti is "well positioned to hit the ground running" because of her decades of experience working in public service.

"Whether it was working for the Nassau County Legislature, the Town of North Hempstead, or the Nassau County Board of Elections, Gina Sillitti proved to be a tremendous asset wherever she deployed her skillsets, and the residents in the 16th NYS Assembly District are lucky to have her as their new Assemblywoman," Jacobs said.

Patch has reached out to Srivastava for comment and will update when we hear back.

District 16 includes the communities of Port Washington, Manhasset, Great Neck, North Hills, East Hills, Old Westbury, Roslyn Heights, Herricks and Lake Success.

As Patch previously reported, Srivastava jumped to the lead on Election Day with about 25,000 votes to Sillitti's roughly 21,000. After absentee ballots were counted, which heavily favored Democrats, Sillitti overcame that deficit, snatching a sizeable lead. As of Wednesday afternoon, Sillitti had about 35,000 votes to Srivastava's roughly 30,000.

District 16 Vote Totals (as of Wednesday, Nov. 18)

• Gina Sillitti (D): 35,153 (53.59 percent)
• Ragini Srivastava (R): 30,093 (45.87 percent)
• Blay Tarnoff (L): 337 (0.51 percent)
• Write-in: 19 (.03 percent)

Sillitti, of Manorhaven, is the daughter of first-generation Italian-Americans. She said on her campaign website that she learned the value of a good education and importance of chasing dreams from her mother, who enrolled in community college at age 45 following the death of her husband.

Sillitti graduated from the University of Georgia and spent nearly two decades working for the Nassau County Legislature, where she helped secure money for fire departments, schools, and helped residents deal with issues such as pothole repairs and navigating personal tragedies.

In 2010, Sillitti was appointed deputy commissioner of the Department of Community Services for the Town of North Hempstead.

Srivastava, of Manhasset Hills, sought the Assembly seat following an unsuccessful bid last year for North Hempstead Town Council.

Born in India, Srivastava came to the United States 19 years ago as a young woman in search of a better life. She has volunteered for domestic abuse survivors and women's advocacy groups, and planned community events such as yoga and mindfulness sessions. Through connections she made, Srivastava launched her own business and was later appointed to the Nassau County Comptroller's Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Council.

Tarnoff earned a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Brown University and a Juris Doctorate from Pace University. He has been a computer systems programmer and analyst for four decades and serves as the Libertarian Party's county committee chair.