The Brooklyn Republican party has a new leader but it is still as broken as ever.
Bay Ridge lawyer Ted Ghorra was unanimously elected as the county’s next chairman on Nov. 4 during a mid-cycle convention after judge Edgar Walker ruled for a do-over in August, but his title means little to members of the party who formed their own group to continue to keep the party alive — and split.
About 15 district leaders united around Ghorra’s opponent Arnaldo Ferraro have formed and joined the new “Kings County GOP Coalition,” which aims to operate independently from the county organization until they can take back the leadership in next year’s regularly scheduled vote for party chairman, said Dany Esquilin, a Republican district leader for East Flatbush and former county party vice-chairman.
“We had two different factions before, it’s been going on before and we still took care of business. It’s about taking care of business, getting people on the ballot. That’s what we do,” he said. “The group is now going to deal with the regular convention this coming Sept. 2017, and hopefully take it back.”
The new coalition describes itself as “Brooklyn’s best and boldest” and formed after members aligned with Ferraro and former chairman Craig Eaton decided to boycott the Nov. 4 convention, according to Esquilin.
Ghorra secured his spot as chairman with 390 proxy votes from people who did not attend in person and the unanimous support of the committee members — about 45 of them — who showed up and voted at the meeting in Sheepshead Bay. But with a pretty empty room, it was clear how un-enthused people were as compared to previous conventions, according to one county committee member who attended and asked his name be withheld.
“There was no opposition. I’ve been at conventions, it was like empty,” he said.
The party schism — which formed when Eaton and reigning Republican lawmaker Martin Golden (R–Bay Ridge) had a falling-out several years ago — is unfortunate, but the party insider hopes the two groups can make peace soon.
“I’m a good friend of Marty’s and I’m a good friend of Eaton’s and I think it’s terrible what’s happened,” the source said. “All wounds heal eventually with time. So many of us who supported Craig are hoping that the future will bring peace.”
But others are not too confident that the party will unite, said former Golden aide Gerry O’Brien who has left the Republican Party and now has no party affiliation. “This is a mess — a big stinking mess — and not likely to be completely resolved any time soon,” he said.
Ghorra did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but Golden is confident he’ll be able to bring everyone back under the county’s big tent.
“Ted has all the key attributes of a strong leader and I am confident he will unify the Republican Party here in Brooklyn,” Golden said in an e-mailed statement. “With the historic election of President-elect Trump and Republican wins across the country, there is a renewed energy in our party. I look forward to building on this momentum by working with Chairman Ghorra to strengthen the Kings County Republican Party so we can continue to win key elections to ensure a better future for our state and city.”
