Leadership shakeups hit red parties
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The game of musical
chairs among leadership
of one powerful
red party in local politics
recently ended — just as a
similar shuffle is reportedly
beginning within another
group of borough politicos.
Earlier this year, the
long-time chairman of the
New York State Conservative
Party, Bay Ridgite Mike
Long, announced he would
step down from the post he
held for three decades . Politics
aside, Long earned respect
from leaders in all
parties because of his reputation
for always being a
man of his word, and standing
by his principles.
And last week, state
Conservative Party officials
again looked to Kings
County in electing their new
leader — Dyker Heights resident
Jerry Kassar, the former
head of the Brooklyn
Conservative Party, who
most recently served as the
state party’s vice chairman.
Kassar, who reportedly
began eyeing the post following
Long’s sudden exit,
also worked in both houses
of the state Legislature up in
Albany, holding positions in
the Assembly, and as chiefof
staff to former Republican
state Sen. Marty Golden,
during his career.
In his new role, Kassar
will work closely with another
Dyker Heights resident
— Fran Vella-Marrone,
the current chairman of
the Brooklyn Conservative
Party — to shape the local
and state conservative agendas
in the lead-up to the 2020
elections.
But as Conservative politicos
move forward under
new leadership, some officials
within the local Republican
Party are bracing for
its own chairmanship battle
later this year.
Many insiders assume the
party’s current head, Ted
Ghorra, still has the support
of Golden — who, despite losing
his seat of 16 years at the
polls last November, continues
to hold influence with
rank-and-file Kings County
Republican Party Committee
members, who will ultimately
choose the party’s
chairman.
In fact, over the past two
months, Golden met at least
twice with Ghorra and GOP
leaders, sources told this
columnist. The summits’ alleged
goals were to plot the
party’s path forward, as well
as identify and recruit Republican
district leader and
county committee candidates
to ensure Ghorra’s reelection.
Of course, a loyal
and united Republican organization
would be helpful
if Golden decides to try and
reclaim his former seat next
year.
But following the election
that swept Golden and other
GOP pols from office, some
within the local party feel
it is time for a change at the
top.
One of those people is
Ghorra’s predecessor Craig
Eaton — a rival of Golden’s
who stepped down as Brooklyn
Republican Party chairman
in late 2015, roughly a
year before Ghorra took the
reins — who told me that
his successor’s future atop
the party is far from a sure
thing.
“Ted Ghorra, who was
hand-picked to lead the
party without even being a
member of the county committee
and having no prior
political experience, has had
two years to prove his ability
to lead the party,” Eaton
said. “The result of his leadership
was the devastating
loss of two long-time Republican
elected officials — Rep.
Dan Donovan and state Sen.
Marty Golden. It is clearly
time for him to go. We need a
seasoned political operative
who has the knowledge, experience,
time, and relationships
to bring the Brooklyn
GOP back to where it was a
few years ago.”
Local Republicans and
Conservatives must stay on
top of their game to reverse
the vast Democratic gains
won last year. And needless
to say, this year’s internal
party politicking will surely
be an exciting preview of
what’s to come as next year’s
local, state, and federal elections
approach.
Bob Capano is a professor
of political science of more
than 15 years, who has previously
worked for local Democratic
and Republican pols,
and as the chairman of the
Brooklyn Reform Party.
THE RIGHT
VIEW
Bob Capano
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