Nassau County Legis. Carrié Solages (D-Elmont) was arrested early Wednesday morning for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in Valley Stream, Nassau County police said, sparking swift and bipartisan calls for his immediate resignation.
Solages, who is running for his fourth term this fall, was charged with assault and child endangerment after he allegedly grabbed the victim by the arm and neck, then threw her against a wall while her daughter jumped on his back to get him to stop, according to court documents. He is among the Democratic legislative minority’s most vocal critics of the GOP-controlled county legislature and Republican administration of County Executive Ed Mangano. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle wasted no time in demanding that he step down.
“All domestic violence incidents should be taken seriously, and we work each day to ensure all families in Nassau feel safe in their homes,” said Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Freeport). ”If the allegations are true, we find them reprehensible and Leg. Solages should remove himself from office immediately.”
The 38-year-old lawmaker, a partner in his law firm, Solages & Solages, is a former Bronx prosecutor who won his seat in a 2011 upset when he unseated his predecessor, the late Legis. John Ciotti (R-Valley Stream), who had served 16 years on the legislature since its formation in 1996. Solages’ sister is New York State Assemb. Michaelle Solages (D-Elmont). The Nassau Republican Committee nominated Paul A. Sapienza to challenge Carrié this fall.
Solages represents the county’s third legislative district, which is made up of communities in southwestern Nassau, including Elmont, Valley Stream, South Floral Park Inwood as well as parts of Lawrence and North Woodmere. Calls to Solages’ office seeking comment were not immediately returned.
During his tenure, Solages helped broker a deal to re-staff the Nassau police Fifth Precinct station house—where his arrest was processed—that had been downgraded in a consolidation initiative. He also fought plans to build a mini-casino and soccer stadium at Belmont Park and most recently had led rallies opposing tax breaks for Green Acres Mall.
Both major party nominees in the Nassau County executive race called for Solages to resign less than an hour after news of his arrest broke.
“There is zero tolerance in society for domestic violence,” said former State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Old Westbury), the GOP nominee for the county’s top job. “And there is no place in public office for anyone who would raise their hand to a woman.”
Martins’ Democratic rival, Legis. Laura Curran (D-Baldwin), also questioned her colleague’s ability to govern in wake of the allegations.
“No person should ever commit violence against another individual and Legislator Solages’ actions have completely undermined his ability to appropriately represent the people of his district,” she said. “Elected officials need to be held to the highest standards and must be held accountable for their actions.”
A spokesman for Mangano, who has rebuffed calls to resign and not said whether he will run for a third term after pleading not guilty to federal corruption charges in October, did not respond to a request for comment.
Presiding Officer Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who declined to run for an 11th term this fall after her campaign was recently fined for financial reporting violations, told reporters that if Solages refuses to resign, he should be barred from the Democratic caucus and stripped of his committee assignments.
“The acts he is charged with committing disqualify him from holding high public office,” she said, adding that she is calling for a special prosecutor to try his case.
Solages is not the first sitting Nassau legislator to be arrested in the past two decades since the panel was formed. Former Legis. David Denenberg (D-Merrick) served three months in federal prison in 2015 after pleading guilty to bilking $2 million from a client of his law firm. And ex-Nassau Legis. Roger Corbin (D-Westbury), who was released from federal prison in 2011 after being sentenced to 18 months behind bars for tax evasion, is appealing his 2014 conviction for taking more than $200,000 in bribes.
Solages pleaded not guilty and was released without bail following his arraignment at First District Court in Hemsptead. The victim was treated at the scene. Her daughter was not injured.
