Suffolk Conservatives: Ed Walsh forces duel with Frank Profeta

Suffolk Conservative officials got into a bitter scrum last week, with backers of chairman Edward Walsh calling for Brookhaven co-leader Frank Profeta to be brought up on party disloyalty charges.

They claimed that Profeta spent $2,600 on an unauthorized mailing endorsing Republican District Court candidate Tara Scully, who did not have the minor party’s backing.

However, Profeta returned fire at a two-hour executive committee meeting in Central Islip Wednesday night, making a motion asking for the resgination of Walsh, who is facing federal charge for filing false time sheets. Profeta’s motion got a second, but did not pass. That led to a third resolution asking for Profeta to resign, which he refused to do. 

Later, Conservative officials named a committee to begin a hearing process to consider whether Profeta should be thrown out of the party, claiming he unilaterally spent $2,600 in party money without getting approval of the town executive committee, required under party bylaws, to do the mailing for Scully. That committee is expected to start meeting within the next two weeks.

Profeta declined to comment on the impending charges but said Walsh should not be backing liberal Democrats as he did with judicial candidate Steve Ukeiley, who Profeta said does not share Conservative values. “With me it's all about policy,” Profeta said. "Ed Walsh has bigger problems than bringing Frank Profeta up on party charges, but if that’s what he wants to do, I’m ready for it.”