Spin Cycle

Smithtown Conservative Chairman Jimmy Tsunis has filed a $2-million lawsuit to block Suffolk Conservative officials from ousting him as town party boss.

The action comes after the Suffolk Conservative committee in late November found Tsunis guilty of disloyalty to the party and ordered him to “cease and desist” acting as a party official.
Party officials said his disloyalty consisted of backing candidates who were not party nominees and undermining party fundraising efforts — charges Tsunis denies.

Tsunis claims in state Supreme Court that Suffolk Conservative chairman Edward Walsh and other party officials failed to to give him proper notice, a copy of charges, or due process. The suit calls the party's action illegal and says it held him up to “public contempt, scorn and shame.”

Walsh called Tsunis' suit without merit and said the party’s position will be upheld in court. Walsh said a special internal hearing will be held in within weeks to determine if Tsunis should be removed from the party.

Rick Brand

From the "strange bedfellows" department: Democratic Rep. Steve Israel played host earlier this week to Suffolk Conservative Chairman Edward Walsh, who was his front-row balcony guest at Repubican President George W. Bush's last State of the Union address.

"It was like the Super Bowl of politics," said Walsh, who had a bird's eye view of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama avoiding eye contact as both presidential contenders were ushered into the chamber-- Clinton with Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware) and Obama with Sen. Edward Kennedy (D- Ma.). While Suffolk Conservatives have never endorsed Israel, the minor party was instrumental in his first election because it put up its own candidate in the race rather than endorse Islip's Republican then-town clerk, Joan Johnson.

Not long after the speech, Walsh also got a call from local party members who told him he was named the state party's "Conservative of the Year," which is also known as the Daniel Mahoney Award, named for the state party's founder. Walsh will receive the award at the state party dinner in Albany in April.

The Suffolk Conservative Party executive committee has issued a "declaration of non-support...no confidence and censure" against Smithtown party chairman Jimmy Tsunis for disloyalty to the party. Officials say the action effectively strips Tsunis of his powers as town leader.

The 60-member executive committee voted against Tsunis Wednesday night after a heated session which he later labeled "a proceeding with trumped-up charges reminiscent of the Soviet Union."

County Chairman Edward Walsh said the charges included: discouraging party members from buying tickets to a party fundraiser; actively supporting Democratic judicial candidate Peter Mayer over the Conservative candidate and supporting a candidate for town highway superintendent not backed by the party.

"The party didn't do anything to Jimmy. He did it to himself," said Walsh, who plans...

Rick Brand

Suffolk Conservative Chairman Edward Walsh is bringing disloyalty charges aimed at drumming Smithtown Conservative Chairman Jimmy Tsunis out of the party.

A notice was mailed out over the weekend to the party’s 40-member county executive committee, setting a meeting for Nov. 26. The agenda includes discussion and action on the issues of disloyalty and removal from the party, though Tsunis is not mentioned by name.

While declining to divulge specifics, Walsh said, “He was disloyal... Jimmy was not behaving the way a party leader should act.”

When Walsh first became county chairman in spring 2006, he was allied with Tsunis, who was named co-leader. Since then....

Rick Brand

Fred Thompson is getting some buzz for remarks he's expected to deliver in a speech to the NY Conservative Party tonight, seen as a rip at Rudy on his home turf:

An excerpt: "Some think the way to beat the Democrats in November is to be more like them. I could not disagree more. I believe that conservatives beat liberals only when we challenge their outdated positions, not embrace them."

Reid J. Epstein

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

The Suffolk Conservative Party has endorsed Republican Betty Manzella, cousin of convicted former Suffolk Republican chairman John Powell, for county legislature to take on freshman Democrat Legis. Kate Browning. But the party also gave its line to three Democratic lawmakers, two of them freshmen, according to party chairman Edward Walsh.

The Democrats that Conservatives backed include freshmen Legis. Wayne Horsley of Babylon and Louis D’Amaro of Deer Park, along with Presiding Officer William Lindsay of Holbrook.
While Conservatives frequently align with Republicans, Walsh said all the Democrats they chose to back "screened well. Lindsay has run the legislature in a non-partisan way. Horsley has been active in spurring business and D'Amaro has been an ardent backer of [County Executive Steve] Levy's agenda of being fiscally prudent and pro-active on law enforcement."

Rick Brand

Just call him “Mr. Conservative.”

Republican Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick won the Conservative Party’s first annual “Visionary” award Monday night for having the most Conservative voting record in Albany last year.

Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) garnered a 88 percent rating from the party in 25 key bills, outdistancing every other lawmaker in either house of the State Legislature, including his nearest rival upstate Assemb. Brian Kolb (R-Canandaigua) by four percentage points. In the Senate, his closest competitors were Sen. Mary Lou Rath (R-Williamsville) and Stephen Saland (R-Poughkeepsie), who each scored 76 percent.

Fitzpatrick accepted the honor Monday night from state Chairman Michael Long at the party’s 40th annual Conservative Party Political Action Conference at the Holiday Inn in Albany.

“It was a nice surprise no one told me it was coming,” said Fitzpatrick, 49, a St. James resident. “I’m proud of it, I believe in Conservative principles...and there’s a need for a Conservative voice up here, even though we’re in a very navy blue state.”

Fitzpatrick is no stranger to walking alone. Only last week he was the only member of the Long Island delegation not to vote for his former Assembly colleague Thomas DeNapoli for comptroller.

-- Rick Brand