- Failed efforts to create councilmanic districts in Babylon, including petition drives that did not meet legal requirements, highlight LaLota's struggles to deliver on electoral reform initiatives (Newsday, 3/4/17; Amityville Record, 5/17/17).
- LaLota's involvement in controversies over police department costs, contract negotiations, and an alleged police merger proposal has drawn criticism and disputes from local officials (Amityville Record, 3/8/17).
- Accusations of political infighting and public allegations against opponents, such as calling Schaffer's involvement "highly inappropriate," may signal a confrontational approach to local politics (Newsday, 3/4/17).
- Election recounts and narrow victories, including a close trustee race in 2014, point to potential electoral vulnerability and divided support in LaLota's constituency (Newsday, 3/21/14).
- Associations with campaign service providers under federal scrutiny, such as treasurer Datwyler’s FEC claims, could expose LaLota to further questions or negative press (Newsday, 11/4/23).
2014: Nick LaLota Advocated for Friendly Political Discourse and Issue-Focused Campaign According to a letter to the editor published in Amityville Record, "Let's talk passionately about the issues, but let's do so in a more friendly and cordial way - in accordance with our Village's name." Signed: Nick LaLota, Amityville. The writer is a candidate for the Village Board and is on the ballot March 18. [Letter to the Editor - Amityville Record, 3/12/14]
2013: Nick LaLota Ran Amityville First Campaign And Was Appointed Trustee According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, 35, ran the Amityville First campaign that elected Wandell and Bernius last year and was appointed by Wandell when Deputy Mayor Peter Casserly resigned." [Newsday (New York), 3/12/14]
2014: Nick LaLota Won Re-Election As Amityville Trustee According to Newsday (New York), "In Amityville, incumbent Nick LaLota won over challenger Andy Powell for one trustee seat, said Village Clerk Diane Sheridan. LaLota had 1,' votes, Powell had 1,064." [Newsday (New York), 3/19/14]
March 18, 2014: Trustee Nick LaLota Was Declared The Winner In Amityville Village Special Election According to Newsday, "challenger Wesley Powell has asked for a recount of Tuesday's election results that gave a narrow victory to Trustee Nick LaLota, village officials said." [Newsday (New York), 3/21/14]
2016: LaLota Circulated Petitions For A Council Districts Referendum In Town Controlled By Democrats According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota last year circulated petitions for a referendum to create council districts in the town, which now is controlled by Democrats, who run on a townwide basis. The town clerk rejected the petitions and Schaffer and LaLota have traded charges on whether some signatures were not properly witnessed." [Newsday (New York), 3/4/17]
2017: LaLota Called Schaffer's Political Involvement 'Highly Inappropriate' According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota called Schaffer's involvement 'highly inappropriate.' LaLota said Siry and village board voted unanimously in 2015 to seek disciplinary charges against the four village officers. The matter was settled later in a confidential agreement." [Newsday (New York), 3/4/17]
2017: LaLota Criticized Schaffer's Motivations As About Town Council Districts, Not Mayoral Race According to Newsday (New York), "'Chairman Schaffer's big party politics is unwelcome in our small village,' LaLota said. 'This has much more to do with town council districts than anything else.'" [Newsday (New York), 3/4/17]
2015: DuWayne Gregory Alleged Nick LaLota Sought Merger Of Amityville Police With Suffolk County Police According to Amityville Record, "LaLota approached him two years ago, he said, asking if he would 'push forward' a measure supporting the merger of the Amityville Police with the Suffolk County Police." [Amityville Record (New York), 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Denied Advocating For Police Department Merger And Clarified Prior Conversation With Gregory According to Amityville Record, "LaLota vehemently refuted that saying he contacted Gregory asking if the county would hire a handful of Amityville's senior officers, whose pay exceeded $180,000 a year. The Village could then hire replacements at a lower cost." [Amityville Record (New York), 3/8/17]
2015: Nick LaLota Voted To Suspend Officer Eric Onderdonk Without Pay According to Amityville Record, "The next salvo was launched June 29, 2015 when LaLota, Bernius and Wandell voted to suspend APO Eric Onderdonk without pay." [Amityville Record (New York), 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Criticized Previous Police Contract Negotiations And Pledged To Represent Taxpayers In Future Talks According to Amityville Record, "He blames the last contract, which he claims gave Amityville Police more money and benefits than their Suffolk counterparts, on the fact that the Village did not have an attorney representing the Village at the negotiating table. 'If I am in a position to be at the table for the next negotiations, I will assure taxpayers I will represent them,' he said." [Amityville Record (New York), 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Articulated Balanced Position On Police Department Costs According to Amityville Record, "'My position is that we do not have to choose between having the most expensive police department in the state or none at all; I want something in the middle,' said LaLota." [Amityville Record (New York), 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Served On The Amityville Village Board Since 2013 According to Newsday (New York), "LaLota, 38, was appointed to the board in 2013, elected for the remainder of that term in 2014 and elected to a full term in 2015." [Newsday (New York), 3/13/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Highlighted Financial Improvements As Accomplishment According to Newsday (New York), "He touts the improvement of the village's finances as his proudest accomplishment, including two credit rating upgrades in recent years." [Newsday (New York), 3/13/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Ran For Mayor Of Amityville On The Amityville First Party Line According to Amityville Record, "Running on the Amityville First party line for mayor is Trustee Nick LaLota. With him on the ticket is Mayor James P. Wandell, who is running for a trustee seat, and incumbent Trustee Jessica Bernius, who is seeking reelection." [Amityville Record, 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota's Team Needed To Win All Three Seats To Secure Board Majority According to Amityville Record, "In order for the LaLota team to hold on to the board's majority, it must win all three seats. LaLota would then have the opportunity to fill his trustee seat, giving the LaLota administration a four-member majority on a five-member board. The only holdout on the board would be Siry who would retain his seat as a trustee if he loses his bid for mayor." [Amityville Record, 3/8/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Ran For Mayor Of Amityville According to Newsday (New York), "Trustee Nick LaLota is running for mayor against trustee Dennis Siry." [Newsday (New York), 3/13/17]
August 2016: Nick LaLota's Previous Petition For Councilmanic Districts Failed According to Amityville Record, "A similar move in August of last year, led by La-Lota and former Lindenhurst Village Clerk Shawn Cullinane failed when the petitions that were filed to put the question on the ballot failed to meet legal muster." [Amityville Record (New York), 5/17/17]
2016: Nick LaLota Led Failed Petition Drive For Councilmanic Districts In Babylon According to Babylon Beacon (New York), "A similar move in August of last year, led by LaLota and former Lindenhurst Village Clerk Shawn Cullinane, failed when the petitions that were filed to put the question on the ballot failed to meet legal muster." [Babylon Beacon (New York), 5/18/17]
2017: Nick LaLota Denied Rumors About Moving To Babylon Or Running For State Senate According to Babylon Beacon (New York), "Amityville Village Trustee Nick LaLota said today that rumors about his intentions to move to Babylon Village and run for the seat of Sen. Phil Boyle are simply not true [...] 'I'm flattered by the Senate rumor, but my daughters are quite happy going to the same school their mom went to,' said LaLota, who is the Republican commissioner in the S.C. Board of Elections and lives in Amityville." [Babylon Beacon (New York), 5/18/17]
2023: Newsday Stated Datwyler Served As Treasurer For LaLota According to Newsday, "He [Datwyler] has worked extensively with numerous Republican candidates and, records show, is the treasurer for D'Esposito (R-Island Park), LaLota (R-Amityville) and a campaign account called New York Majority Makers, a committee that it says helps other freshman Republicans in the state, as first reported by Politico." [Newsday (New York), 11/4/23]
2023: LaLota Withheld Comment On Datwyler's FEC Claims Pending Confirmation According to Newsday, "LaLota, asked by CNN about his ties to Datwyler and Ross' claims to the FEC, said Datwyler provides campaign services for about '100 different' members of Congress and added: 'I'm going to hold out on commenting on that until I can confirm the information myself.'" [Newsday (New York), 11/4/23]