Calcaterra candidacy in doubt after 2nd court loss

A state appeals court may have ended New Suffolk resident Regina Calcaterra’s run for a state Senate seat.

Ruling on Wednesday afternoon, the State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division upheld a lower court decision that found Ms. Calcaterra, who grew up in Coram but lived in Pennsylvania for some months before moving to Southold in 2007, fails to meet the state constitutional requirement of maintaining a New York residence for five consecutive years prior to running for a state legislative seat.

“Although I disagree with the appellate court’s ruling, I respect the legal process,” the candidate said in a statement issued by her campaign. “After reading the court’s opinion clearly and consulting with my campaign’s attorney, I will have more to say on Thursday.”

It was unclear at press time whether Ms. Calcaterra will take her case to the Court of Appeals in Albany, or failing that, whether the Democrats can name an alternate candidate to take on veteran Republican Senator Kenneth LaValle.

“I think she was a great candidate and would have been a great state senator,” said Southold town Democratic Leader Larry Tuthill. “She should certainly consider running in the future. This is an unfortunate decision as she has lived in Suffolk County longer than all three Republican congressional candidates combined.”

Check suffolktimes.com for the latest updates.