In the closing days of last month’s campaigns in Suffolk, contributions rolled in, some of which were probably timed to avoid drawing much attention.
County Democrats got the biggest last-minute donation, with $10,000 to its housekeeping account from Courthouse Corporate Center in Garden City. The property belongs to Benjamin Development, which is involved in one of two competing proposals to build more than 2,000 units of affordable housing for Yaphank on county land.
The best-known name: Former Suffolk undersheriff Edward J. Morris of East Moriches, who gave $1,100 to GOP Brookhaven town board member-elect Keith Romaine. Morris pleaded guilty in 2001 to misusing his office for politics, and paid a $10,000 fine and performed 1,000 hours of community service. He now heads the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, and said he contributed because he’s “known Keith since he was a kid.”
The biggest loan, for $14,500, came from Neil Manzella, whose wife Betty lost a bid for the legislature. Legis. Kate Browning got a last-minute $5,000 infusion from the Suffolk Democrats for a Democratic Legislature. On Nov. 1, Democratic Legis. Louis D’Amaro received $1,000 from Blumenfeld Development Corp., developer of the Tanger project in Deer Park. Legis.-elect Brian Beedenbender got $1,000 from the Ironworkers Political Action League multi-candidate committee in Washington.
Rick Brand on Long Island