They may not get New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg to show up, but Suffolk Republican chairman Harry Withers is trying to round up local officials to attend new state leader Joseph Mondello’s $1,000 a head state GOP fundraiser in the city on May 17 -- by offering a half price discount.
“As an elected official in Suffolk County you are being offered to participate for the discounted price of $500 a person," said Withers, listing himself as Ph.D. in an April 19 memo to GOP state Senators, Assemblymen and county legislators.
Rick Brand
Withers asked lawmakers to make checks out to the state committee, but in bold-faced underlined type added, “give it to me so I can submit it together as a group.” Withers maintains the batching was not a bid on his part to get brownie points with Mondello, but rather the rules the state party set up to qualify for the discount. He said he expects Suffolk GOP to come across with a table of 10 -- including State Sen. Owen Johnson, Caesar Trunzo, former congressional contender Italo Zanzi and others.