Rich Schaffer looks to mend fences, unite Suffolk Democrats after competitive reelection bid

Moments after the results were certified Tuesday night in a contentious election for Suffolk County Democratic Chairman, Rich Schaffer confronted the next challenge: uniting a party six weeks before a general election.

As he addressed the several hundred committee members still in attendance at the Huntington Hilton in Melville, Schaffer thanked his challenger, Kathryn Casey Quigley, vowed to work with new committee members and tried to rally the troops to defeat Republicans.

As Schaffer begins another two-year term leading the county's largest party, a post he's held since 2000, Democrats who backed his opponent hope the intraparty fight will lead to some reforms and a leader with a changed outlook on how to run the party and support its members. Asked if he would need to mend fences with certain people, Schaffer told Newsday "absolutely" and said how he’s viewed as the "therapist-in-chief in Babylon" for bringing people together.

"If I acted as a leader who wanted to settle scores, that would be a complete waste of energy," said Schaffer, who's also Babylon Town supervisor. "My job as the leader is to work on bringing everybody back together to put forward the best team because otherwise that’s not going to benefit me as the leader."

In an interview Tuesday night, Casey Quigley, whose grassroots campaign rallied enough support to make for a much closer election than many in the party and political experts had predicted in December, said she was proud of the effort her team put forward. The Democratic Party needed a shake-up, she said.

For Casey Quigley's part, that meant attracting a fresh batch of residents to run for county committee. 

"But I also really hope that Rich will be true to his word and will create systems and infrastructure to make sure that these folks who are volunteers, who are the base of the party, really feel the support," she said.

Party reforms

Casey Quigley said she’s committed to the Suffolk Democrats and hopes the campaign leads to changes in the structure of the party, notably "new bylaws and practices to sort of reduce the impact of the patronage system." 

Schaffer defended the patronage system — in which allies are rewarded with government jobs and other perks — as something that’s "been in existence since the beginning of time."

"It's always easy to say patronage is horrible, but when it comes down to it, that's what makes the party work," he said. "There are people who are committed to this because they're working on behalf of an elected official or government, and that's generally the way it works. And anybody who tells you otherwise is not telling you the truth."

In response to allegations from some Casey Quigley supporters that Schaffer had offered money to members to attend the meeting and vote for him, Schaffer's campaign called it "pathetic and ridiculous."

What's important now, Schaffer said, is to pivot quickly and redirect the energy onto the streets in campaigning for the candidates seeking public office in federal, state and local races.

Schaffer said he’d like to see the committee members pick a campaign and "dedicate" themselves to that race.

 Republicans have sought to seize on the Democratic leadership battle. GOP chairman Jesse Garcia congratulated Schaffer on his win Tuesday night while also criticizing the Democrats, saying they "proved where their true priorities lie: hoarding power and influence at the expense of middle-class taxpayers. 

"For Suffolk Republicans, our mantra is simple: good government is good politics."

In response to criticism from the Republicans, Schaffer said he’s "hopeful that they’ll continue to underestimate us." 

'Get down to business'

Lawrence Levy, executive dean of the National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University, told Newsday that contested races for party leaders are rare. In a typical election, winning 57% of the vote as Schaffer did would be considered a solid result, he said.

Now looking ahead, he said "it’s up to Schaffer to do something about the restiveness, particularly in a critical election year where the party can’t afford any sort of division. What Schaffer needs to do is tap into his inner humility and reach out to his opponents." 

Schaffer and Casey Quigley supporters alike said they were hopeful for the party’s future. Those like Sue Hornik, of Bellport, believe the challenge to Schaffer will reshape him and the party going forward.

"Insurgency campaigns are always really hard," Hornik said. "I think Rich Schaffer cannot go back to being the Rich Schaffer he was before she announced her election."

Viscel Moore, 56, of North Amityville, said she was "very, very happy" Schaffer won, but that Casey Quigley and all Suffolk Democrats must now look past this intraparty battle toward November.

"Now we have to get down to business," Moore said. "We have to win elections up and down the Democratic slate."

Elizabeth Lynch, 73, of Brentwood, said Tuesday the lack of Democratic candidates running for judicial positions on last year’s ballot "galvanized" her to become a committee member. She said she believes backroom deals merely hand positions to Republicans and Conservatives.

"That’s not what the head of the party should be doing," she said. "Everybody knows about what happened recently with the candidates for county clerk and county comptroller. That’s not leadership from the top, that’s selling out."

Schaffer on Tuesday night expressed a more introspective tone in his comments than he had earlier in the campaign. In an interview with Newsday in June, Schaffer was asked if there was anything he’s taken away about how he leads the party or its direction. He responded by saying, "nope, no."

Addressing the delegates Tuesday night, however, Schaffer credited Casey Quigley for "making me a better person" and said the challenge made him "step up my game, for us as an organization to get better than we were the day before."