Can Suffolk Dems mend fences for November gains?

Daily Point

Unity easier said than done after months of mudslinging

The Monday morning quarterback question after Rich Schaffer was reelected Suffolk County Democratic Party chair Tuesday night — can Democrats recover from a nasty intraparty fight to win in November?

Schaffer beat Southold Town Democratic chair Kathryn Casey Quigley, 57%-43%, in unofficial tallies of weighted votes. Casey Quigley took a few notable areas, including Islip, and came surprisingly close in Smithtown.

After the vote was announced, Casey Quigley and Schaffer were all smiles as they shook hands and promised to work to unite the party to get Democrats elected in November, easier said than done after months of mudslinging.

One Democratic Party source who backs Schaffer worried that the level of enthusiasm among volunteers on both sides might wane leading up to the general election.

"Candidly, time will tell," the source said. "I worry that some will say, 'My work here is done.' "

Casey Quigley said her unsuccessful bid to end Schaffer's leadership made the party stronger.

"I continue to believe we can support our Democratic candidates full-throatedly while we critique the system," she said. "I'm really excited to keep working toward wins in November."

Of her own defeat, she said: "We were taking on a behemoth and we should feel really damn proud of ourselves. I sure do."

Islip Town Democratic Party chair Leigh-Ann Barde, who switched allegiance from Schaffer to Casey Quigley leading up to the election, said her Facebook post calling on Schaffer to resign convinced her committee members to vote for Casey Quigley. Despite Schaffer's reelection, Barde said she would continue to be a team player.

"Nothing changes with that today," she said. "I'm going to defend my committee. I'm going to do my duty and I'm going to keep working to support candidates in Islip."

While Democrats recover from the fight that exposed divisions, Suffolk Republican chair Jesse Garcia gloated in a social media post that Democrats are "a fractured party at war with itself ..." more interested in "hoarding power and influence at the expense of middle-class taxpayers."

But if Casey Quigley's impact has been to energize the party — evident by the more than 1,000 people at the convention Tuesday night — Democrats may have the last laugh since they hold a slight advantage in voter registration countywide, according to the most recent statistics from the New York State Board of Elections.

"Anyone who claims to care about what it is to be a Suffolk County Democrat owes it to the people who are on the ballot to ... work twice as hard for all the time we've missed," a party source said.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

Going for broke

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Final Point

Suffolk clerk race gets crowded

The write-in merry-go-round for Suffolk County clerk is getting packed as yet another candidate has entered the race.

Chris Padgett announced on social media last week that he received the Libertarian Party endorsement for write-in. Padgett's candidacy makes at least three write-in campaign efforts for the clerk's office this November. Amber Field has the backing of Southold Town Democratic Party chair Kathryn Casey Quigley's group. Suffolk Progressives haven't formally landed on a candidate through their social media vetting process but said they will select a candidate soon.

The impetus for write-in candidates started in June, when the Democratic candidate for county clerk withdrew by accepting the Conservative Party endorsement for a judgeship. It was a political move that sent Suffolk politics into a tizzy, with cross-endorsement deals for judgeships falling apart and write-in hopefuls posting on social media their intent to challenge Conservative County Clerk Vincent Puleo, who runs with Republican backing.

While the internal feuding among Democrats settled Tuesday when longtime chair Rich Schaffer beat Casey Quigley to retain his post, that challenge is what initiated the county clerk fiasco. Casey Quigley criticized Schaffer's tradition of cross-endorsement deals, leading to Democrats switching their candidates for clerk and comptroller before ballots were finalized. Now, Democrats have no candidate for clerk on the ballot and their pick for comptroller, Jon Estreich, is steering clear of intraparty fighting.

Padgett said he's clear-eyed about his chances of victory — almost none — but said he was compelled to run to give voters a choice.

"I know it's an extremely long shot," Padgett told The Point. "But I wanted to get my message out and give people a choice."

Padgett said the county party's four-member committee voted 3-0 to back his campaign. One member was absent from the vote. Padgett is listed as the 1st vice chair of the Suffolk County Libertarian Party, which meets monthly at a Panera Bread in Deer Park.

Items on Padgett's platform include creating satellite offices in each town so Suffolk residents don't have to travel to the clerk's office in Riverhead, and hiring people based on merit, not political connections. Padgett, 61, is a retired letter carrier who grew up in Lindenhurst and lives in Port Jefferson Station.

Padgett wants to debate other candidates in the clerk's race and is mounting a social media campaign to get his message to voters.

For months, the November midterm election has been forecast to be an especially hectic cycle, but who could have predicted that the election for county clerk would be the hottest race in Suffolk?

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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