Press Center

DiCarlo receives CSEA endorsement

The Press of Manorville and The Moriches
By Bryan Finlayson
10/19/07

Robert DiCarlo, the Republican and Conservative Party candidate for Brookhaven Town supervisor, received the endorsement of the Civil Service Employees Association, or CSEA, last week . The union represents the majority of workers at Town Hall.

Democrats, meanwhile, said that the endorsement “calls into question” the legitimacy of the CSEA and Mr. DiCarlo’s campaign.

The CSEA is a white collar workers union that represents about 1,000 Brookhaven Town employees across a spectrum of town departments. In 2005, the union supported Republican Edward J. Hennessey in his bid for town supervisor against Brian X. Foley, a Democrat and current supervisor.

The union came into conflict with Mr. Foley last year when nearly 400 members of the Brookhaven Town CSEA packed the Town Hall auditorium to protest a proposal by Mr. Foley’s office to change employee health benefits.

“While supervisors may claim to run the town, it is the hardworking employees who make this town run,” Bill Walsh, president of the Brookhaven CSEA and husband to Republican Town Board member Kathy Walsh said in a prepared statement. “We’re proud to endorse Robert’s candidacy and end the harassment of town employees.” Anna Deknatel, executive director of the Brookhaven Democratic Committee, said the endorsement was motivated by money. “It calls into question the integrity of the organization,” she said.