Brookhaven’s former Republican Supervisor John Jay LaValle has crossed party lines, taking sides in a highly contested fight over leadership of the town Conservative Party.
In a move that is raising political eyebrows, LaValle, a lawyer and public notary, circulated petitions for committee candidates backing Richard Johannesen, former county ethics chairman running for supervisor.
Johannesen is competing with the namesake son of outgoing party leader Tony Gazzola — who in the past gave his party’s endorsement to LaValle for supervisor. Gazzola agreed to step down as party leader to get a $114,000-a-year job as undersheriff, under Democratic sheriff Vincent DeMarco.
Johannesen, a long-time friend of LaValle, asked for help from the former supervisor who collected signatures in three or four election districts.
Rick Brand
LaValle denied he is making a major political move and said he was only doing his friend a favor. “I only got six signatures,” said LaValle. “But these guys are very scared and they are reading way too much into it.”
"I think he is supporting me because he believes I’m the much more qualified person to serve as leader in Brookhaven,” Johannesen said. He said Gazzola’s faction includes Republicans like Assembly candidate Dan Panico and GOP operatives Tom Kilmartin and Kevin Molloy, who both work at Suffolk OTB.
But critics see LaValle’s move as a backdoor attempt to regain power.
“I’m disappointed,” said Gazzola, who said LaValle decided not to run for re-election “under a cloud” last year. “He told everyone he was leaving politics to spend more time with his family. Instead he is out collecting Conservative petitions, something he probably never did before...He’s on the outside now and he wants to use the Conservative Party as a stepping stone to regain a power base.”
Comments (1)
I AM A FORMER CONSERVATIVE COMMITTEEMAN FOR THE TOWN OF BROOKHAVEN AND SUFFOLK COUNTY. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT I SUPPORT AND ENDORSE RICH JOHANNESEN FOR BROOKHAVEN TOWN CONSERVATIVE LEADER AND HOPE THAT OTHERS WILL FOLLOW AND MAKE HIM OUR LEADER.
MIKE TANNER
POB 389
ROCKY POINT, NY 11778
631 278 9660