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Just a toddler posing for campaign literature during her father's first run for elected office, Jay Schneiderman's daughter Magda is now a grown woman.
Approaching his last year as Southampton Town Supervisor, Jay Schneiderman is considering a run for Suffolk County Executive. KITTY MERRILL
What will term-limited Jay Schneiderman do, come 2024?
His last term as Southampton Town Supervisor ends next year, and during an interview about his plans this week, he mentioned a possible run for Suffolk County executive. The current county executive, Steve Bellone, is also term-limited.
“I’d be a good candidate,” he said during the taping of the “27Speaks” podcast on Thursday, November 17. Pointing to stints at the helm of both East Hampton and Southampton towns, Schneiderman noted that he also served as county legislator from 2004 to 2015, between the two supervisor positions.
“I have the right resume for the job,” he said during a podcast to discuss his musical interests and the recent airing of a song he co-wrote on an episode of “The Bachelorette.”
“I’ve run two towns,” he said, emphasizing experience overseeing an airport and two police departments. “I’ve done lots of budgets. I’d be a good executive, probably better than I’d be a candidate.
“I have to decide where I want to focus my energy,” he said, noting he has “a very strong East End brand.”
Reached for comment, Gordon Herr, Southampton Town Democratic Committee chairman said, “I think Jay would be an excellent candidate. He’s highly experienced, highly qualified.”
The only race Schneiderman has lost in the last 20-plus years was for Suffolk County comptroller in 2018. Two of three runs for office — for East Hampton town supervisor and county legislator — he bested incumbent candidates. In his 1999 run for supervisor, he topped the East Hampton Republican ticket, but later switched parties.
Even in that one, unsuccessful bid, Herr related, Schneiderman came within 4 percentage points of the victor, Republican John Kennedy.
“Jay is an incredibly good manager,” the local party leader enthused. “He’s a very good chief executive and very well connected.”
The county Democrats do already have “a great guy running,” Herr pointed out.
Last summer, David Calone of Setauket announced plans to run for the seat, lauding a $1 million war chest. Calone ran for the Democratic nomination for Congress in 2016, losing to former Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst. She was ultimately bested by Republican and recently defeated gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin.
Discussing Calone’s candidacy last summer, county Democratic leader Richard Shaffer was quoted in Newsday describing him as a “formidable” candidate. However, Shaffer said he was still meeting with potential candidates. He did not return requests for comment this week.
Local GOP leader David Betts had little to say about a potential run by Schneiderman. “Jay’s been around a long time,” he offered. “He can certainly run if he wants.”
Betts deferred to the county Republican leader, Jesse Garcia. Garcia said he’s currently going through a “deep bench” of potential GOP candidates, and plans to “sit back and watch whatever transpires” with the Democratic Party. The leader expressed confidence that the next county executive will be Republican.
Suffolk’s last Republican county executive was Robert Gaffney, who served three terms from 1991 to 2003. His was one of the most successful tenures of a county executive, Garcia opined. “He got us through the wildfires, and under the shadow of 9/11.”
His successor, Steve Levy, won the seat as a Democrat, then switched to the Republican Party in 2010 in a failed run for the nomination to top the ticket as the GOP’s candidate for governor. His registration change was too late, and, failing to get the required Wilson Pakula document that allows a person to run on another party’s ticket, was eliminated from the race.
If he prevails, Schneiderman would be the county’s ninth county executive.
But first, he’s got to decide if that’s a path he wants to take.
“It’s not the only thing I’m considering,” he said. “There are a number of possibilities, but it’s a little too early to talk about.”
Saying he has a pension and still owns a motel in Montauk, the lawmaker mused, “I’m blessed. Maybe I could focus on creative efforts, like music and writing and feed that part of my creativity.”
He’s currently working with a Manhattan music studio on a Christmas song he hopes to release.
