Daily Point
Dem clerk candidate thinks he has a better shot by playing positive
Underdog political campaigns yearn for traction, and when an incumbent makes a blunder, there’s a scrum to squeeze every word for a headline.
Think of how fast a hot mic misstatement or old social media post goes viral.
Democratic candidate for Suffolk County clerk, Anthony Portesy, got an early October surprise when a Newsday news division investigation revealed incumbent County Clerk Vincent Puleo, a registered Conservative, as the owner of a St. James property that housed a foot spa tied to alleged sex acts. But Portesy, the Brookhaven Town Democratic Party chair, said he won’t exploit a salacious issue for political gain.
“I’m just not a negative campaigner,” Portesy told The Point. “It’s against the core values of my ethics.” Portesy acknowledged he’s sacrificing short-term gain by not confronting Puleo about the foot spa mall business in a St. James strip mall, but he said passing on the embarrassing reveal will lead to more support in the long run.
Puleo told Newsday he terminated the spa’s lease after the story broke. “I was shocked and disappointed to learn of serious allegations involving a tenant operating within a shopping center that I am the landlord,” Puleo said in the Newsday story, adding that he asked the county district attorney to investigate. “Illegal activity of any kind will not be tolerated and has no place in our communities.”
That’s the kind of slam-dunk scandal political challengers dream about, so it’s interesting that in today’s political climate of outrageous accusations and AI slop being treated as fact, Portesy is steering clear of an open net.
But by not swinging at a softball, will Portesy strike out in November?
On paper, he’s already got a few called strikes.
Portesy didn’t file a July 15 campaign finance report with the New York State Board of Elections, and he doesn’t have a committee filed on the website. He said it was a filing miscue — a clerical error by the candidate for county clerk.
“We filled out the paperwork with the board of elections and got a confirmation email, and then they tell us, ‘We didn’t get your papers,’ ” Portesy said. “We filed it, we sent it again a second time.”
His campaign is legit, though, and Portesy has a canvassing launch Saturday and a fundraiser on Aug. 11, with platinum sponsorship available for $5,000.
Portesy said if he wins the clerk’s seat, he will step down from his party position and from his $144,000-a-year deputy general counsel gig with Suffolk’s Off-Track Betting Corp.
“I’m in it to win it,” Portesy said. “People will vote for me because they like what I have to say. It’s easy, vote Portesy. My last name sells itself, baby.”
If Portesy gives Puleo a pass on the foot spa faux pas, will Puleo give Portesy a break for a clerical error in the election for the county’s top records keeper?
— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com
Pencil Point
A life of possibilities
Credit: CagleCartoons.com / Harley Schwadron
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Final Point
Suffolk GOP stronghold sees big fundraising
Is a heavily Republican Assembly district on Long Island in play?
Based on campaign finance filings last week, it looks possible, even if voter registration slopes steep right in the 7th Assembly District.
The district, currently held by Republican Jarett Gandolfo, is up for grabs — on paper, at least. He is running for the 8th State Senate District seat, an opening created by the retirement of Republican Alexis Weik.
Islip Councilwoman DawnMarie Kuhn, a Republican, is running against Democrat Patricia Kopp to replace Gandolfo.
Kuhn and Kopp have raised about $240,000 in total, including $160,000 in matching funds, according to July 15 campaign finance filings with the New York State Board of Elections. They have spent a total of about $78,600 so far with more than three months left before Election Day. The amount to date makes it one of the most expensive Assembly elections on Long Island this year.
Those are dollar amounts typically raised in higher-leverage elections like state senator or town supervisor. The race for AD7 shouldn’t be close. The 26,800 registered active Democrats in the district are dwarfed by the 36,200 registered Republicans. There are 28,800 unaffiliated registered voters, according to the most recent information on the state BOE website.
Republican political consultant Michael Dawidziak told The Point he would be “shocked” if AD7, which encompasses the South Shore of Islip Town, parts of southwestern Brookhaven Town, and a portion of Fire Island, can be flipped by Democrats.
“This is an incredibly safe Republican seat,” Dawidziak said. “You’ve got some huge Republican areas like Bohemia, East Islip.”
But, Dawidziak added, “Without seeing polling numbers, it’s impossible to say if it’s in play.”
A source told The Point that Suffolk County Democrats were targeting a few races in the Assembly and State Senate where they thought gains could be made.
Kuhn received about $7,000 from a handful of unions, mostly representing law enforcement, likely aided by her position on the Islip Town Board and her private political consulting business. Kopp held a fundraiser earlier this month that drew around 150 people, one Democratic Party source said. That’s a big draw for a relatively obscure seat like the Assembly.
Democrats across Long Island have long attributed their losses to low voter turnout since there are about 84,300 more registered active Democratic voters than Republicans Islandwide. Will congressional races and the temperature of national politics motivate voters to turn up in November in greater numbers for local elections like AD7?
— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com
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