Former State Senate candidate Matt Titone prevailed in a marathon Staten Island Democratic County Committee Convention that I am very angry that I wasn’t allowed to be part of , to select who will run in the March 27 special election to replace the late John Lavelle last night. Titone defeated Supreme Court deputy chief clerk Bob Olivari, the late Assemblyman’s son Danny and another former State Senate Candidate Kelvin Alexander, who I would have supported at least in the Convention that ended at 12:30 AM’s first ballot. I ultimately would have switched support to Titone after early balloting placed Kelvin at a distant 4th.

Danny Lavelle unlocked the convention by throwing his support to Titone after it became apparent that he wasn’t going to win.

Despite finishing way out of the money, Alexander , the founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, is on the ballot as the Independence Party nominee. Although I would have supported Alexander at the Democratic Convention, my vote will go to Titone in the Special Election.

Alexander is a member of the County Committee and should not jeopardize a safe Democratic seat by siphoning votes from Titone, who would normally attract 70 percent of the vote in an election against Republican Rose Margarella. Margarella, a junior high social studies teacher received 28 percent of the vote against Lavelle in November.

Ironically, Titone almost benefited from comparable Republican infighting in the fall State Senatorial campaign. When former mayoral candidate John Marchi, decided to end a State Senatorial career spanning 6 decades, aid Bob Helbock, thought he was heir apparent. The Vito Fossella wing of the Republican Party then chaired by Helbock, preferred Vito crony Andrew Lanza. Helbock resigned as party chair and lost to eventual general election winner Lanza in the Republican primary.

Helbock had already received the Conservative Party endorsement before the primary and originally planned on running on that line regardless of the primary’s outcome. The openly Gay Titone could have possibly won in a district gerrymandered to be Republican if Helbock and Lanza canceled each other out. If he wins the Special Election, Matt will become Staten Island’s first openly Gay elected official. Helbock eventually bowed to party pressure and withdrew from the Conservative line.

The gerrymandering of districts being overwhelmingly Democratic or Republican resulted in 11 people seeking Lavelle’s old North Shore seat, while no Democrat is running for the vacant South Shore seat also contested on March 27. The Democratic Party cross endorsed Conservative Party candidate John Mulia in absence of a candidate.