Murphy Faces Primary

Primaries are not new for John Murphy (R-Pearl River), who has been in the Rockland County Legislature since 1971, but they are relatively rare.

He will face one for the first time in 10 years Sept. 13 with Andrew Wiley of Pearl River also on the ballot as a Replubican.

"Primaries are a very bad thing," Murphy said. "The reason they are very bad is because too few people vote in them. It is never good when you get a small turnout.

"In my judgment, they are not based on performance or philosophy. They are based on personality. Anybody who has run against me, they never run because of my record. They ran against me because they wanted my job."

Wiley, who has run for Orangetown Town Council in the past but never held a political office, does want that job. The 38-year old real estate broker and tax consultant from Pearl River is just two years older than Murphy was when he was first appointed to the legislature in 1971.

"Voters need to say to themselves that he's been there for 40 years. What is he looking to accomplish in his next four years," Wiley said. "I was talking to a voter who asked me who can do anything well for 40 years? After a period of time, the skill set decreases.

"He has done a lot of good things for a lot of organizations. My issue is that when these things come in front of the county legislature for votes, he should recuse himself."

Murphy is known as much for his charitable work with organizations such as Camp Venture and events such as the Orangetown Relay for Life as for his work in politics.

"He's done a lot of great things. Can he do those things if he's not a county legislator? I think he can," Wiley said. "My hope is that this election will be about the issues and dialogue about the issues, not the person. I'm running for office. I'm not running against John Murphy. I hope I can win the primary and get my mesage out. Just running can change the dynamics and shift the debate. Even shifting the debate has a benefit."

A key issue for Wiley is reducing government waste and finding ways to explain and deal with financial shortfalls in the county budget.

So what keeps Murphy going at age 76?

"What keeps me going is I love what I do," Murphy said. "It's a love affair for me. I love the ability to help people.

"It all ties together. My role in government, my view of government, is that it exists as a safety net for people who desperately need help. You don't need government to govern the rich and powerful. They can take care of themselves."

Murphy said the biggest difference in him between now and when he first joined the county legislature 40 years ago is that he is much more aware of the people in the community who need help.

"The difference is I've learned how desperate some lives are," Murphy said. "God gifted me with good health and good fortune, so I am in a position to do this."

Murphy is also on the ballot with the Conservative and Independence parties. Wiley is only on as a republican. Eliot Tozer is the Democratic candidate for the District 16 seat.

"I did go for the petitions for all three parties, but they invalidated my petitions (for those other two) on a technicality, which I found hilarious," Wiley said.

Other Primaries

There are other primaries that will have an impact on voters in Orangetown Sept. 13.

Incumbent Orangetown Supervisor Paul Whalen is being challenged on the Republican ballot by Allan Ryff of Tappan.

There will also be a primary among the three Democrats running for two open seats on the Orangetown Twon Council -- Elijah Reichlin-Melnick of Nyack, Robert Dell of Tappan and Gerald Bottari, Sr. of Blauvelt.

Two candidates are on the Democratic ballot for Rockland County Sheriff. Tim O’Neill of Stony Point is challenging fellow Democrat Louis Falco of Blauvelt. Falco is the current chief of the sheriff’s patrol and O’Neill is a retired detective sergeant with the Clarkstown Police Department.

The opening for a County Family Court Judge has led to several primaries.

The largest is a four-way Democratic race between candidates Ed Kallen of New City, Karen Riley of Suffern, Sherri Eisenpress of Valley Cottage and Itamar Yeger of Spring Valley.

Candidate Paul Chiaramonte of Valley Cottage, who has the Republican line, is challenged by Eisenpress for the Independence vote. Three candidates are vying for the Working Families line: Riley, Eisenpress and Yeger.

Editor's note: Robin Traum contributed to this report.