Altschuler readying for county exec run

Multimillionaire businessman Randy Altschuler, who suffered a razor-thin loss in the 1st Congressional District last year, has taken a first step toward running for county executive by interviewing with the Suffolk Conservative Party.

"He's willing to run," Edward Walsh, Suffolk Conservative chairman, said after Altschuler appeared before the party's executive committee Tuesday night. Walsh declined to give any details of the discussions between the St. James Republican and party officials. Altschuler did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

Altschuler and three other contenders will be interviewed Friday by the Suffolk Republicans. The meeting had been scheduled for Thursday, but was delayed because State Senate Republicans are doing a poll for the Suffolk GOP to assess all the candidates.

"Randy has executive experience not only building but managing large corporations," said John Jay LaValle, Suffolk GOP chairman. "He's not a career politician but a businessman trying to change how government works."

GOP county executive candidate Angie Carpenter, the county treasurer, said she was "quite frankly very surprised" by Altschuler's interest because he has said he wanted to run again for Congress. Carpenter also said she is prepared to run a primary. "My plan is to be in this race to the finish," she said.

Conservative Michael O'Donohoe, Suffolk commissioner of jurors, said his own candidacy in a Conservative primary is "an open question."

"You can pick the guy with the biggest checkbook, but that doesn't guarantee victory," said another hopeful, Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James).

Richard Schaffer, Suffolk Democratic chairman, said he won't believe Altschuler is in the race until he announces it himself. Schaffer also warned that Altschuler remains open to attacks for outsourcing jobs to Asia as a co-founder of OfficeTiger, a business support company he later sold.