Brookhaven Democrats elect Anthony Parlatore as chairman

Brookhaven Democrats on Monday night elected attorney Anthony Parlatore as their new party chairman, to succeed former Assemb. Marc Alessi.

Parlatore, 66, a Stony Brook resident for more than four decades, took over without a contest at a town Democratic committee meeting at the old Coram firehouse that was attended by 125 people.

A longtime party activist, who once ran unsuccessfully for district court judge, Parlatore said he would like to get the local Democratic committee “back to the grassroots” and fill local party positions down to block captain. He also said he wants to recruit candidates from local civic groups and school boards.

“I’m a student of the ’60s,” Parlatore said. “I believe in the principles of the Democratic Party and want to make sure we support good candidates so we can elect the best possible candidates to office.”

One of Parlatore’s first decisions is whether town Democrats should back town board member Kathleen Walsh in November for her Third District town board seat after losing the highway race running on the Democratic line. Walsh, elected as a Republican, has re-enrolled in the Independence Party but her new registration does not take effect until after Election Day.

Parlatore said he wants to meet with Walsh, but said “it would be presumption” to say whether the party should back her until after he talks with her.

Parlatore’s name surfaced after Alessi, a lawyer, resigned last month, citing increasing business commitments with his new firm Synchropet, which makes biomedical scanning devices. Alessi said his departure has nothing to do with last month’s Democratic loss in the highway superintendent race.