Add The New York Post on Google Voters bought his reelection pitch.
A Long Island Democratic Party boss was reelected Tuesday night — just days after bombshell allegations surfaced that he offered to pay committee members for their vote.
Suffolk County Democratic leader Rich Schaffer, whose held onto his position for 26 years, coasted to yet another term with over 57% of weighted-votes of county district leaders on Tuesday.
But the state Attorney General’s Office confirmed it was looking into allegations from local Democrats that he threatened to get some party members fired from their committee jobs and even tried to put up cash if they voted to boot him out of his fiefdom.
Rich Schaffer won his reelection for Suffolk County Democratic Committee Chair after allegations buying votes. Suffolk County Democratic Committee/Facebook “Can we pay him to miss work?” Schaffer allegedly texted one member about getting his father to skip his night shift as a security guard and instead come vote for Schaffer, according to messages viewed by The Post.
Schaffer was facing an insurgent challenge from progressive Kathryn Casey Quigley as allegations flew and some allies broke with the longtime chairman.
Islip Town Democratic Chairwoman Leigh-Ann Bard turned on him in an editorial just days before the vote, calling for his resignation over his Mafia-style reelection campaign and alleged backdoor deals with the local GOP.
Schaffer defeated Kathryn Casey Quigley, who led the intra-party civil war led to unseat him. Facebook/Kathryn Casey Quigley Shaffer was accused of making deals with Republicans to boot blue-blooded Dems off the ticket to allow GOP candidates to coast to victory.
“It pains me greatly as someone who has supported, defended, and looked up to Chairman Richard Schaffer and considered him a friend — I have no choice but to call on Richard Schaffer to resign,” she said.
Barde’s husband, committee Roc Romain, is a committee member who holds a job at the Suffolk County Board of Elections that lives and dies at the pleasure of the party.
Audio also emerged of a Schaffer ally pressuring committee members to fall in line with the boss.
Schaffer has publicly denied the allegations of bribery.
