Southold’s Kathryn Casey Quigley to run for county Democratic Committee chair

Southold Town Democratic Committee Chair Kathryn Casey Quigley will run for leadership of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee next fall after leading a “blue wave” of Democratic victories on the North Fork in November’s elections.

Ms. Casey Quigley announced this week that she will challenge current Suffolk County Chair Rich Schaffer, citing frustration with his leadership and year after year of Democratic losses in elections.

Democrats won nine of 11 races in Southold Town elections last month, along with an upset by Southold Town Board member Greg Doroski over GOP incumbent Catherine Stark for the 1st District Suffolk County Legislature seat. On Shelter Island, Democrat Elizabeth Hanley for Town Board and Democrat Shelby Mundy for Town Clerk were winners in November.

By contrast, Democrats lost party control of the Suffolk County Legislature in 2021. New York’s first and second congressional districts are now represented by Republicans Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino, respectively.

“What we’re seeing nationwide is also what we’re seeing here in Suffolk County, which is a frustration with the [Democratic] Party and the leadership,” Ms. Casey Quigley told The Suffolk Times on Tuesday. “We’re not fighting here as hard as we can be in Suffolk, and it’s important to me that we do better.”

Ms. Casey Quigley was first elected as the Southold Democratic Committee chair in January 2018. She briefly stepped down in 2023 for 18 months. She is also the co-founder of Peconic Community School and plans to exit that role in June to pursue the salaried, two-year chair position.

“It’s bittersweet. It’s just been a blessing of a lifetime to do this work, and I’ve learned so much and grown so much, especially about building community,” she said. “We’ve built community here at PCS, we’ve built community in the Southold Dems, and it’s that same ethos and energy that I want to bring farther afield. You can have a foundation that’s built on care, love and connectedness, and it helps people thrive and do their best.”

If elected, she said her main priority is to incorporate Southold’s model for building the Democratic Party at the county level. This includes Southold Democrats’ high level of coordination and method of screening candidates. Ms. Casey Quigley also noted the Southold Democrats are the second-best fundraising town in the county, just behind Babylon.

Her vision, if elected, includes offering more active support to Democratic town committees by providing financial resources, guidance with field organizing, campaign management trainings, goal settings and more.

She said meetings between town chairs of local committees and the county committee have only started happening recently, even though it’s been pushed for years. Although Southold is often praised for its “great” candidates, she said the town is not unique.

“Great people are everywhere. The chance to raise money and run strong campaigns exists everywhere, but there needs to be a dedicated strategy, energy and organization to make it happen,” she said. “[Mr.] Schaffer doesn’t seem interested in that. He seems focused on maintaining his town salary, and then some.”

She called Mr. Schaffer’s employment as both the Babylon Town Supervisor and chair of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee a “real conflict of interest.”

“It is my absolute honor to serve as the Chairman of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee, and I look forward to earning the support of the Committee once again in 2026. We as a party are at our best when we work towards our shared goals, rather than get distracted by internal division,” Mr. Schaffer said in a statement. “I will continue to focus on what I’ve dedicated my entire life to: building a strong, inclusive, and resilient Democratic Party.” 

Mr. Schaffer also noted he has received endorsements from East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and from Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore. 

The response to Ms. Casey Quigley’s campaign announcement has been “tremendous,” she said. Over 200 people signed up for her mailing list in just five days, and her campaign has received donations from 45 people so far. A recent pop-up information session also had a strong turnout and her social media traction is growing.

The general public does not vote in party committee elections. Individuals on the committee will vote for their new leader sometime between September and October. A set date has yet to be determined.