Repub. Assemb. Al Graf to hold fundraiser for sheriff run

Republican Assemb. Al Graf has set the date of March 9 to hold a $1,200-a-head fundraiser to bolster his coffers in his bid for Suffolk sheriff.

Graf, 59, said he hopes to raise more than $15,000 at the event at the Irish Times Pub in Holbrook, and believes his experience as a former New York City police officer, lawyer, state lawmaker, and former town supervisor in upstate Brighton gives him the credentials to oversee the county jail and its prisoners.

Graf of Holbrook has stepped up his interest since Conservative Sheriff Vincent DeMarco’s name began circulating within the Trump administration for a possible appointment.

DeMarco, who has said he plans to seek re-election, faces significant opposition in his minor party over his testimony that helped convict his former employee, ex-Suffolk Conservative Party chairman Edward Walsh, on federal corruption charges.

Graf said he already has about $10,000 for his sheriff campaign fund, and another $4,715 in his Assembly campaign coffers.

The only elected official currently in the running for sheriff, Graf is facing retired Suffolk police officer Fred Sales and Larry Zacarese, who has raised $94,000, much of it from family.

Some GOP officials say State Sen. Phil Boyle’s (R-Bay Shore) name also has surfaced, but Boyle declined to comment.

— Rick Brand