Gaffney's next stop: aiding LI Red Cross chairman

Bob Gaffney, the former Suffolk County executive and just recently retired Dowling College president, is one of those guys who finds it difficult to stay completely retired.

Gaffney, 66, has temporarily signed on as an adviser to Dave D'Orazio, board chairman of the Red Cross chapters on Long Island. The Island's Red Cross is seeking a new chief executive.

"I'm helping out for awhile," Gaffney said earlier this week. He is on hand to provide expertise on fundraising and administrative matters, he said. He is not interested in the CEO's job.

"I always had an affinity for the Red Cross," Gaffney said. "They were always there," during the Sunrise Fire, TWA Flight 800 and numerous other disasters, he added, referring to the 1995 pine barrens blaze and 1996 midair explosion off East Moriches. Gaffney said he receives a small salary for his work.

But, Gaffney said, longer-term, "I'm retired, and I want to be."