Dem's historic SD1 win comes with hiccups

Daily Point

Murray faces possible snags over outside income, lawsuit

If Democrats think flipping a Senate seat in Kansas 94 years after their last win is something to crow about, they should calm their horses and take a gander at Long Island's 1st State Senate District.

E. Christopher Murray pulled off a stunner, beating incumbent Republican State Sen. Anthony Palumbo by a slender 1.7 percentage points. When Murray is sworn into office in January, he will be the first Democrat to represent SD1 since 1914.

Or, think of it this way: The last time a Democrat represented Long Island's SD1, the nation was installing its first electric traffic signal, Babe Ruth was making his major league debut, and President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed the first Mother's Day.

So, to say that Murray's historic win caught more than a few insiders by surprise is an understatement.

But the victory brings at least two wrinkles for Murray. First, Murray, a partner at Rivkin Radler, like other practicing lawyers in the State Legislature, will have to navigate a new $35,000 cap on outside income that takes full effect on Jan. 1. Second, Murray represents plaintiffs suing Brookhaven Town, alleging pollution from the landfill is sickening nearby residents.

In a statement to The Point, Murray acknowledged the two potential issues.

"I am committed to following the letter and spirit of the law and am working swiftly to resolve any potential conflicts that may arise with my private practice," Murray texted. "As I understand, the courts are still determining the way this law will be implemented. Regardless of the coming determination and implementation, I will always place serving my constituents above any other consideration. I am proud to have a robust legal background and am eager to use my deep understanding of the law to best serve this community."

So, Murray's trying to figure out both challenges: Will the salary cap withstand the current legal challenge and how does he continue to represent clients, even pro bono ones, as a member of the legislature.

A Brookhaven Town source told The Point that Murray doesn't have much time to decide how to handle it all. "It's a potential ethical minefield. He's going to have to give up his practice as other legislators have or walk this very tenuous fine line."

Meanwhile Murray's victory is so fresh that he and his transition team are still working on the basics like setting up an office.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

Pencil Point

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Final Point

SCCC prez may be heading south

Suffolk County Community College President Edward Bonahue — who was censured by faculty this spring and whose contract is up in June — is one of four finalists in the search for a new head of Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland.

The Anne Arundel presidential search website says the four finalists, including Bonahue, visited the campus in "late October and early November." The next president will start in July. 

Bonahue's contract at Suffolk was extended back in 2023 despite objections from at least two Suffolk County legislators. Bonahue got a 4.9% pay raise, upping his salary to $304,210, according to a story in the college newspaper last November. He came to SCCC in June 2021 from Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Florida.

Legis. Trish Bergin (R-East Islip), chair of the county legislature's Education, Labor, Consumer Affairs & Diversity Committee, said it was far too early to speculate on Bonahue's future at Suffolk or a possible replacement.

"Until the trustees take a vote to determine whether or not the current president is staying or leaving, we wouldn't even embark on a short list of his replacement," Bergin told The Point.

But a source told The Point that SCCC's board of trustees is leaning against offering Bonahue a contract extension. "He's doomed," the source said.

In April, a Newsday news story reported that SCCC's faculty voted to censure Bonahue and the school's vice president for academic affairs, Irene Rios, for not including faculty in planning a new program to let Islip teens earn a two-year degree while still in high school.

The censure resolution said the Islip incident was "the most recent and egregious instance of circumventing established shared governance structures" for academic matters by Bonahue and Rios. The censure vote was 15-4 among Selden campus faculty and 36-5 among Brentwood campus faculty. Riverhead faulty didn't vote.

In 2023, Bergin spoke out against Bonahue's contract extension, citing Tesla canceling its automotive program that year over a denial for more space, according to a Newsday story at the time.

A source said a possible name being floated to replace Bonahue at the end of his term is Sylvia Diaz, who was named acting commissioner of the county's Department of Social Services in July.

Diaz was appointed acting commissioner of DSS after previous Commissioner John Imhof resigned for "personal health reasons," according to a Newsday story.

While Bergin said it was "premature" to speculate on replacements, she praised Diaz. "With her background and her education, she is so versatile in our county that the county executive could put her in any role," Bergin said.

Bonahue wasn't available Thursday.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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