Spin Cycle

In Washington, the campaign season has made earmarks all but a dirty word. On the Albany scene, criminal charges are still pending against state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez Jr. involving his member-item spending. At City Hall in Manhattan, oddball budget practices have brought forth the term "slush fund" to apply to money allocated by Council members -- and by Mayor Mike the Maintainer, as reported here.

Against that backdrop, the irregular apportionment of discretionary funds in Brookhaven as reported this week should fit right in. More specifics are here. The latest edge: New board member Keith Romaine is filing resolutions aimed at reforming the practice (for full text of his letter, click the 'continued' bar below).

It seems remarkable that a new round of attention -- certainly warranted -- is paid on so many levels right now to legislative grants, which comprise a small portion of most government budgets.

On the heels of Rick Brand's story today on the movement to run Democratic Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley for the Senate seat long occupied by Republican Ceasar Trunzo, there are reports here and here of how would-be contender Jimmy Dahroug and a Democratic fundraiser are responding (fundraiser graphic via the TU's Liu).

Two aides to new Councilman Keith Romaine (left) became embroiled in a noisy argument last week, causing a stir throughout Brookhaven Town Hall and leaving one of the combatants without a job.

The argument arose between Romaine’s aide Lori Ann Casdia and the board member’s $40,000-a-year secretary, who was being let go and working her last day. Romaine said the secretary, 21, although being terminated, also filed a letter of resignation that morning.
Romaine, who was not present, acknowledged that it “got loud outside the council door,” but maintains there was “no punching, hitting or touching.” He said Casdia then told the secretary to leave work early because the situation had become “unprofessional.”

Romaine said constituent work in his office is “very intense” and the job was not what the secretary expected it to be. “On the day of termination, no one is in a good mood,” said Romaine.

Rick Brand

Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri (left) wants no part a Democratic town ticket that would pit Supervisor Brian Foley against Timothy Mazzei for Mazzei’s town board seat.

While Pontieri’s name was mentioned as a potential supervisor contender if Foley were run for town board, the mayor said he would steeer clear of such a run because the resulting political fallout could harm the village. However, if Foley made an exit elsewhere, sources say Pontieri would be highly interested in a supervisor’s race.

Rick Brand

Brookhaven's Democratic Supervisor Brian Foley may be weighing whether to run for a town board seat next year, but he is still raising money like the town's top dog.

More than 200 supporters showed up last Wednesday night at the Bellport Country Club where Foley raised about $70,000 for his campaign coffers, even though he is but one of seven council members and Republicans now have a 4-3 edge on the town board.

While it is not a direct head-to-head comparison, county elections records show that Foley, in his supervisor race last year, garnered 57.78 percent of the vote in the fifth town board district, while Republican incumbent Timothy Mazzei pulled in 62.97 percent in his re-election bid. However, Foley was running townwide against a better-financed foe, while Mazzei was able to concentrate solely on his local district.

Democrats also point out that their party, while still trailing the GOP by 23,000 in voter enrollment,.....

Rick Brand

If it were a WWE event, touts would dub it the "Blue Point cage match."

In a highly unusual move, Brookhaven Supervisor Brian X. Foley (left), only three months into his second term, is seriously weighing a run for town board next year against his chief nemesis, Republican Timothy Mazzei.

The move would pit the two men in a hometown battle for Mazzei's 5th District seat, a part-time job that pays $65,000 a year. To make the run, Foley would have to forgo renomination for his $110,000-a-year supervisor's job and seek other employment, so far unidentified.

Foley himself declined to comment, but backers describe the idea as an "out of the box" effort to show that Democrats are intent on quickly returning to power in Suffolk's largest town, rather than conceding their 2005 victory was a once-in-a-generation fluke. Republicans won back a 4-3 board majority in November.

If Foley makes a town board run, party officials say they have a "deep bench" of supervisor contenders led by Patchogue Mayor Paul Pontieri, architect of the village's revival, or Assemb. Marc Alessi (D-Shoreham), an outspoken advocate on utility issues.

"I think it's a very savvy political strategy," said Marsha Laufer, Brookhaven Democratic chairwoman. "What's important to Brian is our reform agenda, not whether he's supervisor or on the board."

But critics say the ploy is the largest sign yet that Foley is unhappy and ill-suited....

Rick Brand

A routine vote to name a Democratic district leader at a Brookhaven convention became a minor firestorm a week ago, according several witnesses.

The fireworks started after Suffolk Legis. Vivian Viloria-Fisher proposed from the floor that the district name Jane Corrino as district leader instead of re-electing veteran party activist Barry McCoy (photo above). The move brought an angry response from Democratic town board member Steve Fiore Rosenfeld.

According to some witnesses, Fiore-Rosenfeld said Vilora-Fisher had “no right” to suggest a name because it was his district and it had been arranged beforehand. Then when Nassau’s former chief deputy county executive Christopher Hahn questioned why McCoy was absent, Fiore-Rosenfeld him too, asking if he carry his baby “any closer,” indicating he was trying to use the child to his political advantage. He then stormed out.

Fiore-Rosenfeld later called the incident a “tempest in a teapot,” but admitted....

Rick Brand

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

Tom Suozzi is not the only Long Island official stumping for Hillary in Iowa.

Marsha Laufer, Brookhaven Democratic leader, is heading west to stump for the former first lady for three days in December to relay how Hillary conducted an extensitve listening tour of New York State before deciding on her Senate run. "My specialized message will be to tell Hillary’s hisotry,” she said.

Laufer said she will also be flying into Omaha and driving and hour and half to canvass, phone and knock on doors, but she does know exactly where. She said she will get formal marching orders the week before her trip.

Rick Brand

Brookhaven’s lame-duck Democratic town board member, Carol Bissonette, let her hair down at the Three Village Democratic Club Thursday night, saying she had been given “no choice” about being replaced on the ticket for re-election -- and repeatedly “threatened” and accused of disloyalty.

Bissonette, who ran and lost a close race for tax receiver on a single line, said party officials claimed she was behind Joseph May’s winning Independence Party primary against Republican-turned-Democrat Edward Hennessey, who lost a close race to Republican Keith Romaine, costing Demcorats control of the town board.

“During the campaign I tried to take the high road,” said Bissonette. But she blasted party leaders -- none by name -- for dumping her. She said party leaders acted even though she commissioned polls showing she would have won the race. She also said that party officials asked her to leave the town ticket until the last day she was allowed to decline the nomination.

“After that, I was persona non grata,” she said.

Later, she did nothing to douse speculation she may turn Republican. When asked if she was changing parties, she smiled and said, “Wait and see.”

Rick Brand

Republican Keith Romaine beat Republican-turned-Democrat Edward Hennessey by 266 votes for the controlling majority on the Brookhaven town board, in the completed recanvassing by the Suffolk Board of Elections.

Romaine ended up receiving 5,902 to Hennessey’s 5,636 while Independence Party candidate Joseph May recieved 1,470. On election night official results had Romaine ahead by 276 votes.

The election is not expected to be officially certified for another week or so.

“After 12 year of failure,” said Brookhaven GOP chairman Jesse Garcia, referring to Hennessey past tenure as a town board member, "The people of the sixth district are going to get what they need — They are going to get a fighter with Keith Romaine on the town board.”

Rick Brand

While the town board went Republican and the supervsor stayed Democrat, Brookhaven voters rejected 61 to 39 a proposition to preserve open space in the town.

"It went down in flames," Brookhaven Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld, a Democrat, said of the referendum. "People were nervous about the real estate market and we were talking about a real estate transfer tax. End of story."

Erik German and Jennifer Maloney

In Brookhaven, it appears that rookie Democratic Supervisor Brian Foley has prevailed against challenger Robert DiCarlo, a former state Senator, by a margin of 54 to 46 percent.

Republicans appear poised to take back control of the town board in Brookhaven. So far it appears to be a 4-2 majority — if Republican Keith Romaine pulls out a narrow victory over Edward Hennessey in the 6th District. Hennessey has not conceded. Updates available here.

Brookhaven's Democratic Town Supervisor Brian Foley has lined up several prominent Republicans to back his re-election.

Former Chief Deputy County Executive Eric Kopp, who worked for Robert Gaffney; Bellport Village Mayor Frank Trotta, and Suffolk Community College Trustee Dennis McCarthy, another former Gaffney aide, have all endorsed the first-term incumbent.

Jesse Garcia, Brookhaven GOP chairman, said: "Obviously these individuals do not have a pulse on the Brookhaven electorate and their oppositoon to higher taxes, illegal immigrants running rampant, or our quality of life that is sinking out of sight."

Foley faces Republican Robert DiCarlo in Tuesday's election.

Rick Brand

Brookhaven Democrats have filed a complaint with Cablevision, claiming that Robert DiCarlo (above), the Republican challenger for town supvervisor, is using “outright lies” in his most recent TV ads against Brian Foley (below), the Democratic incumbent.

In their letter, Democrats say amoing the inaccuracies in DiCarlo’s ad are claims that Foley supports Gov. Eliot Spitzer's plan to allow illegal aliens to apply for drivers' licenses, and that Foley has not shut down any illegal or overcrowded houses.

Foley, in an accompanying affadavit, called the charge of his backing Spitzer plan “a falsehood. I have never said that.” He added, “My campaign has stated that I do not support his proposal.”

Foley added that the town has closed 29 illegal dwellings....

The New York League of Conservation Voters is promoting Democratic Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley, third from left above, against Republican challenger Robert DiCarlo -- with an expensive blitz of polling, direct mail, Web ads and phone calls. Slick color mailings went out last weekend and the calls were under way late this week, said Dan Hendrick, LCV spokesman. The League is also focusing on election campaigns in Yonkers and Schenectady.

Dan Janison

Former Republican Brookhaven Supervisor John Jay LaValle, who left office two years ago with $377,000 left in his campaign kitty, is making his last hurrah, financially. The latest campaign finance report, filed last week, shows LaValle has only $7,800 left in in his warchest, down from $70,100 at the start of the year. He has spent more than $50,000 of what had been left trying help local Republicans regain power in Suffolk’s largest town, a key election battleground.

His biggest donations were $10,000, to former Suffolk Legis. Martin Haley, who now is running for town highway superintendent, and $8,600 to Republican Robert DiCarlo, who is trying to unseat LaValle’ssuccessor, Democrat Brian Foley. LaValle has also gave earlier to DiCarlo, maxxing his donations at about $14,000.

He also gave ...

Rick Brand

When Suffolk Democrats saw the programs for their fall dinner last week, they may have spotted an unexpected contributor: Republican Legis. Joseph Caracappa , who was listed as a “buffet sponsor.” He gave Democrats $4,000 to help pay for a Villa Lombardi’s spread that included chicken marsala and eggplant rollatini.

“I’m glad they used it for food because I’m Italian and love to eat,” Caracappa said. The donation was “purely a thank-you,” he said, to those involved in “good politics, promoting good government.” He said he also gave $20,000 to the Brookhaven Republicans and $5,000 to the Conservative Party, and plans to make a similar donation to the Independence Party. Caracappa, with $129,000 reported on hand as of July, said he’d hold on to most of the money for a possible future run, or to help other candidates.

Despite political differences, Richard Schaffer, the Suffolk Democratic chairman, said he’s had a warm relationship with Caracappa, as he did with Conservative Legis. Rose Caracappa, the current lawmaker’s late mother, with whom Schaffer served. “It’s who he is,” said Schaffer...

Rick Brand and Reid J. Epstein

State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli emphasizes in the video posted here that cost controls run into big bucks in a large municipality like Brookhaven. An interesting read -- might this get used by one side or the other in the upcoming supervisor election?

Brookhaven Republican’s supervisor candidate Robert DiCarlo today launched his first radio attack against Democratic Supervisor Brian Foley for “out of control" spending and giving town residents “an unbearable tax increase.”

The 60-second spot criticizes Foley for giving residents the “biggest property tax increase in town history” and says he “even tried to use our tax dollars to support illegal aliens,” a reference to Foley’s proposal as a county lawmaker to spend $80,000 to create a hiring hall for day laborers, a measure that was never adopted.

Rick Brand

Brookhaven Republicans may not have gotten the Independence line for the head of their ticket, Supervisor candidate Robert DiCarlo, but GOP tax receiver candidate Lou Marcoccia beat out Democratic town board incumbent Carol Bissonette for the minor-party line.

Although both candidates were allowed to circulate petitions, the minor party only gave Marcoccia the authorization to run on the party line. Bisonette also did not win the party line when she first ran for town board, though she was allowed to run in a primary in that race.

Frank MacKay, state and Suffolk Independence Party chairman, said the party backed Marcoccia largely on the recommendation of town party leader Carol Crist, who has a close relationship with the East Setauket Republican who has shown his independence from the party in the past by running a primary against the organization. Bisonette did not get the party line when she first ran for town board, though the party allowed her to wage a primary.

Bissonette did not return calls for comment. Suffolk Democratic chairman Richard Schaffer said he was "disappointed" by the minor party's decision, but downplayed the impact. "She's still a part of the Foley team and I think voters will support the entire team," he said.

Rick Brand

State and Suffolk Independence Party chairman Frank MacKay has sided with Democrats in key races in two towns — backing Brookhaven Supervisor Brian Foley for re-election and Islip’s Democratic town board contenders John Edwards and Gene Parrington.

MacKay, who made the move Friday, said that Foley has “made changes for the better” and that Parrington and Edwards “impressed” him as more like “civic activists than politicans.”
For Foley, who was backed by the minor party in his first supervisor race, got 2,324 votes on the Independence line in a race he won by 6,100 votes. In Islip, Parrington two years ago got 1,209 on the Independence line.

Jesse Garcia, Brookhaven GOP chairman, said that he thought his candidates “had a shot” at the line and is “disappointed” by MacKay’s decision. But even without the line, Garcia said “I’m confident in Bob DiCarlo waging a successful campaign for supervisor.” Islip GOP officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Rick Brand

Suffolk's Democratic County Executive Steve Levy is getting reinforcement in his hiring-hall battle from the right wing -- from county Conservative chairman Edward Walsh and GOP Brookhaven Supervisor candidate Robert DiCarlo.

DiCarlo, a former Brooklyn State Senator who now lives in Stony Brook, praised Levy for standing up to a "radical wing, of mostly New York City representatives" -- whose action "borders on bribery, and is completely unacceptable."

Rick Brand

The convicted felon who gave $20,000 in bribes to former Suffolk Republican chairman John Powell has been quietly serving since February as a member of county's regional Solid Waste Task Force.

Michael Cholowsky was appointed to the commission even though he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government and testified in federal court that he bribed the GOP leader for better access to the Brookhaven landfill. At that trial, Powell's lawyers got Cholowsky to admit he lied on four years of tax returns and paid workers more than $100,000 off the books to save on taxes. He was sentenced to a year's probation.

Commission chair Carrie Meek Gallagher said she was unaware of Cholowsky's criminal past until she was sent newspaper clippings about it in the past two weeks. "If the name was John Powell I would have known," Gallagher said. She said her office did not vet the appointment because it came from the county legislature. She said the administration is trying to determine whether the appointment can be rescinded. Lawyers say Cholowsky can be removed only by a legislative resolution.

Rick Brand

Brookhaven Republicans will name former Suffolk Legis. Martin Haley as a late-entry challenger to take on two-term Democratic Highway Superintendent John Rouse later this week, party officials said Monday.

Haley agreed to run for the highway post after the party passed him over as a candidate for tax receiver, an open seat where there is no incumbent.

“He’s got experience, he’s a proven tax cutter and as a legislator showed that he knows operations and how to improve the infrastructure,” said Jesse Garcia, Brookhaven GOP chairman, who said the town executive committee will formally name Haley Thursday.

Haley is also expected to get Conservative Party backing, even though party chairman Richard Johannesen has clashed with him in the past.

Rick Brand

Robert DiCarlo, named last week as the Brookhaven GOP’s candidate for town supervisor, said he raised nearly $50,000 in his first fundraising event Tuesday night at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook.

DiCarlo said 225 supporters, including party leader Jesse Garcia, former supervisor John Jay LaValle, and town Conservative leader Richard Johannesen, showed up, and he has collected $48,000 after expenses and expects to break $50,000 when the last of the donations come in.

Rick Brand

UPDATE: In response to a reader's query: the candidate is the same Bob DiCarlo who served as a state Senator from Bay Ridge.

The Democrats unveil a town board candidate to replace Carol Bissonette.

Democratic Assemblyman Marc Alessi said neither he or his CSEA union organizer wife Gretchen Penn are interested in running for the Brookhaven town board seat now held by Republican incumbent Kevin McCarrick.

McCarrick has announced he’s not running again.

Late last week their names began to buzz in political circles, in part because the couple is planning to moving from Manor Park, which is out of the district, to a new home in Shoreham, which is in the district.

“I’m very happy where I am, and I have a lot on my plate that I want to accomplish,” said Alessi.

Rick Brand

Just when Brookhaven Republicans are trying to unite to elect a leader, a battle royal has erupted between GOP town board member Timothy Mazzei and the political leader of his ward.
Mazzei declared war against Edward Rosavitch in a letter that went out earlier this month claiming that the fifth district ward leader was openly supporting a Democrat to run for town board against Mazzei.
“This is extremely disturbing behavior...and cannot be tolerated,” Mazzei wrote to outgoing GOP boss Eugene Gerrard, asking that Rosavitch be immediately removed as ward leader. “One might argue that he should be banished from our party altogether.”
Mazzei, who sent the letter to 100 committee members in his district, said he learned of Rosavitch’s effort Feb. 3 after party officials were screening candidates for town leader.

Rick Brand

A straw poll of Brookhaven Republican committee members who showed up to screen the parade of contenders for Brookhaven GOP leader has put one of the darkest horses in the contest — Lou Marcoccia, a two-time electoral loser — in the lead.

Results circulated at the town GOP executive committee meeting Monday night showed that Marcoccia, a computer consultant, had 44 votes, followed by Jesse Garcia, once a top aide to former town supervisor Felix Grucci, who had 36 votes. Steve Wilutis, an attorney backed by former Supervisor John Jay LaValle, was a distant third with 15 votes. Douglas Segall, who ran unsucessfully for leader several years ago, got 10 votes.

Robert Macedonia, who got no votes, dropped out of the race, and Ken Gaul, who got three votes, was not present at the executive committee meeting because he was in Florida. The other contender who got only three votes was Wayne Rogers, the new deputy elections commiissioner, who some party insiders privately deride because of his ties to Islip Republicans.

Marcoccia, of East Setauket, said he was pleased by the outcome but declined further comment. Marcoccia narrowly lost a primary for town clerk last year and lost a legislative race to Legis. Vivian Vilora Fisher earlier.

However, the straw poll is of limited value because only 144, or 27 percent, of the party’s 527 committee members attended the screening. The convention, scheduled for March 22, will be determined by the weighted vote of committee members based on the GOP votes in last year’s gubernatorial race.

- Rick Brand