Dem Chief Dodges Defeat

Babylon Town Supervisor Rich Schaffer survived an insurgent challenge to his 26-year grip on the Suffolk County Democratic Party Tuesday, but nearly 43% of the weighted vote went against the longtime chairman.

Schaffer defeated Southold Democratic Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley, 113,010 to 84,234 — a 57%-43% split in a race that pitted one of Suffolk’s most established political figures against a challenger from a small East End town.

Casey Quigley mounted the first serious challenge to Schaffer’s leadership since he took control of the county organization in 2000. The result allowed Schaffer to retain his chairmanship, but the margin showed significant support within the party for a change in leadership.

The revolt followed committee primaries in which voters overwhelmingly backed candidates aligned with Quigley. Her campaign attacked Schaffer’s cross-endorsement arrangements with Republicans and Conservatives, use of “paper candidates” and what she described as “horse trading” involving judicial nominations.

Under a deal engineered by Schaffer, Republican-backed County Clerk Vincent Puleo, a Conservative, will face no Democratic challenger in November. The party’s original nominee, Brookhaven Democratic Chairman Anthony Portesy, dropped out after accepting a Conservative nomination for State Supreme Court justice. Portesy publicly admitted that he does not expect to be elected on only the single line, with the judicial nomination simply providing a legal mechanism for him to leave the clerk’s race.

Democratic comptroller candidate Jonathan Estreich said he also faced pressure to withdraw, which would have cleared the way for Republican Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro. Estreich refused and remains in the race.

In past elections, Schaffer’s arrangements with the opposition brought numerous judges to the ballot with no challengers, horse trading that added to the ire of the Democrat insurgents.

The intraparty fight also raised questions about the concentration of political power. Schaffer simultaneously serves as the head of the Suffolk and Babylon parties, as well as the town supervisor.

In the heat of the battle, Quigley’s supporters also accused Schaffer’s camp of using patronage leverage and offering compensation to supporters who missed work to attend the convention. Some called for state and federal investigations into the activities leading up to the vote.