Flanagan decides against county exec run

State Sen. John Flanagan, who many Republicans considered the party's best chance of winning this year's Suffolk County executive race, has decided not to run and will remain an Albany lawmaker to help protect GOP control of the Senate.

The East Northport Republican disclosed his decision in a 45-minute meeting with John Jay LaValle, Suffolk GOP chairman, at party headquarters in Holtsville Saturday morning.

"It was a very difficult decision, but the right one," said Flanagan in an interview afterward.

Flanagan, 49, said his decision was based on helping preserve the narrow 32-30 Republican Senate majority, which faces such looming issues as redistricting, and wanting to protect state aid for local schools as chair of the Senate education committee.

"The work we do in the Senate in Albany to protect the interest of Long Island is something I take very seriously," said the 25-year Albany veteran.

He also cited personal concerns with one of his children being a recent college graduate, another in school and a third who will graduate high school next year, as well as the challenge of raising millions of dollars in an abbreviated time frame to mount a viable countywide race. "Fundraising is a challenge in a good economy when you have lots of time," he said.

LaValle said he did not try to persuade Flanagan to remain in the race and has no hard feelings about his decision. "A candidate has to want it," he said."If they don't, it becomes a death knell."

"It's a very unselfish move by Flanagan," said Frank MacKay, state and Suffolk County Independence Party chairman. "It would have left the Senate in flux in a redistricting year. If the Republicans ever lost the Flanagan seat, they might never return."

Flanagan's exit is just the latest shock for the GOP, which until a month ago had hopes of a November landslide with recently minted Republican County Executive Steve Levy heading a ticket that could return the county legislature to GOP control.

However, Levy announced he would not seek a third term and handed over his $4 million campaign fund to District Attorney Thomas Spota.

It leaves Suffolk Treasurer Angie Carpenter, Assemb. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) and former Conservative county lawmaker Michael O'Donohoe, now commissioner of jurors, as active contenders.

Two Republican sources said Rick Lazio's name also could surface soon as a possible contender.

One high-level GOP source said there have been preliminary talks between Edward Walsh, Suffolk Conservative chairman, and Lazio as well as between Lazio and LaValle, whose relations have been strained since the Suffolk GOP chief abandoned Lazio in his bid for governor last year.

"He's definitely interested," said one source close to Lazio but not authorized to speak for him. "But Republican leaders are going to have to take some immediate steps like doing a poll."

Lazio did not want to comment Saturday.

Carpenter, the only GOP contender to have formally declared her candidacy, said she has "no concerns" about a possible Lazio bid. "I'm moving forward and staying focused on what I have to do," she said.

Flanagan's decision comes only days after Babylon Democratic Supervisor Steve Bellone officially declared his candidacy last week.

Bellone said Flanagan's departure will not alter his campaign. "I'm going to run the same race no matter what -- I'm running hard and aggressive."

Fitzpatrick, named the state's most conservative lawmaker for two of the past three years by the state party, said Flanagan's exit makes the Conservative screening all-important. "I'm the most conservative and have the record to back it up and the backbone to stand up to those interests who want to maintain the status quo," he said.

O'Donohoe concedes he's a long shot who might only get a shot if Republicans decide the race is "a suicide run."

Flanagan said his decision came after he spoke to numerous advisers, political business and labor leaders as well as potential donors.

Suffolk Comptroller Joseph Sawicki, a onetime potential contender who dropped out, said Flanagancalled him Thursday, still earnestly pursuing the pros and cons. "I told him this race was going to be 50-50, very tight," he said. "It's not like 20 years ago when once a Republican candidate got the party nomination, they were almost assured to be the winner."