By Anthony Rifilato
Last week, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer became the Democratic Party's official candidate for governor, and Bonilla's comments come at a time when Suozzi's statewide poll approval numbers are alarmingly low: 12 percent. Bonilla also criticized Suozzi's recent proposal to institute a commuter tax on the Long Island Expressway during peak hours, an idea that many have scoffed at. And Bonilla questioned Suozzi's commitment to the county executive job if his run for governor fails, saying that it is all about satisfying his ego.
"I'm hearing Suozzi is going to step down ... he's not even going to finish his four-year term," Bonilla said at a Baldwin Republican Club meeting on June 1. "He's not happy that he's getting crushed. If he loses the primary, I'm hearing he's done. The more he gets crushed, I'm loving it."
A spokesperson for Suozzi did not return a call for comment. Bonilla said that Suozzi's flailing campaign bodes well for the Republican Party, which is seeking to reinvigorate itself in Nassau County after being seriously tarnished by former County Executive Tom Gulotta, who ran the county's finances into the ground.
"After Tom Gulotta, a lot of people lost faith in us," Bonilla said. "He hasn't been around for years, and his name still comes up."
Bonilla also said that Town Supervisor Kate Murray may consider a shot at Suozzi's seat, and that she is a strong contender among Republicans for the job. "Certainly her approval rating is better than his," Bonilla claimed. "She's doing a phenomenal job."
A spokesperson for Murray would not return a call for comment. Amid efforts by the Nassau County Republican Party to revitalize itself, Bonilla explained, a greater effort must be made to gain the support of minorities in order to make the organization a "party of inclusion." The Latino vote, he said, is the "vote of the future."
"We're not making a serious plug for the minorities [now]," Bonilla said. "The Hispanic vote is the vote. Whoever gets the Hispanic vote gets mega-power."
An African American woman at the meeting asked Bonilla what could be done to attract more minorities to the Republican Party, and Bonilla said that the party has to be more aggressive in selling itself. He explained that it was critical to reach out to church groups and other organizations in order to convey the party's family-oriented values. He said that both of his parents are Democrats because the party reached out to them when they came to the U.S.
Bonilla noted that with the recent discussions of immigration, it's not going to be an easy sell. "Hispanics are not feeling welcomed here," he said. "So how are we possibly going to get them? The problem is that we have to be more aggressive. We need more people of color in this party."
He also said it was premature to consider Spitzer a shoo-in for governor, even though Spitzer is leading Republican contenders John Faso and William Weld in the polls. "One concern I have this year about the governor's race is that it's almost like we're being discounted, the Republicans," Bonilla said. "My plan is to campaign [for those running] for Senate however I can."
While Bonilla spoke of Suozzi's bravado, he displayed some chutzpah of his own, telling club members of the excellent job he has been doing as town clerk, implementing a child safety ID program and other initiatives. "There isn't a clerk in the country doing what I'm doing," said Bonilla.
