LIPS: Independence Party Status

Independence Party Status 1999

Recently I asked Jeff Sievers, previously Editor of the Long Island Advance about the hectic pace of activities that seems to have overtaken the Independence Party on Long Island. As we all know, in politics, that can be good or bad. To get a clearer picture for our readers and Long Island residents we got his point of view, that is being presented below. Comments are welcome, as are other points of view (space permitting). Other parties will also be invited to explore this avenue to brief the public on their activities and plans.

Imran Anwar

Over the past several days, I have received a number of requests from Independence Party members across the state to explain what has been going on in recent weeks within the party in Suffolk County. It is unfortunate that the folks responsible for the IP News have not seen fit to spread the news. Not only do they not attribute what they disseminate under the guise of a news service, they remain uncomfortably silent when the news does not suit them. Moreover, when they do write about a subject, they are notoriously inaccurate. I am more than happy to identify myself when I send out press materials and the same is true when I offer my thoughts in a forum such as this. All I ask in return is that you forward this to those on your usual e-mail lists. You don't have to agree with everything I write, but I do appreciate your help in spreading the word of the Independence Party.

For those of you not all that familiar with Long Island, Suffolk County is made up of 10 towns of which Brookhaven is the largest. In fact, it is the largest town in New York State, and it happens to be the home of State Chairman Jack R. Essenberg.

Some months ago, Frank MacKay the then vice chairman of Suffolk County became disenchanted with the leadership of Mr. Essenberg, the state chairman. He vowed to organize the county and to allow individual towns to organize as well. This would prove to be a big job since there are more than 10,000 Independence Party members in Suffolk.

Together with a handful of supporters, MacKay set about the task. Some time later, he announced that he had sufficient proxies to organize the county. As yet he has never shown those proxies to anyone outside his small group of supporters. Frank and his group then held an organizational meeting, in a bar on a weekday morning, in extreme western Suffolk. He then declared himself County Chair. In response, several elected county committeemen challenged the move in court.

That case, and subsequent legal issues are still making their way through the court system. While I am no way certain that Suffolk has been legally organized, many in the media and as well as some seated elected officials are going about their business as if it has, and apparently do recognize Frank MacKay as the Suffolk County Chair. One of Frank's first steps as the purported county chair was to adopt a new set of county bylaws that among other things allows towns to organize as well.

Frank has always assured party members that he supports local control and that the bylaws were written to make the process accessible to all. So, after careful consideration, several party members from different towns have taken steps to organize their respective communities. To our surprise Mr. MacKay has opposed these efforts. He has been quoted as saying that he must approve all organizational efforts; that he controls all the shots. I believe in playing by the rules that exist. In the case of Brookhaven, I followed the rules and organized the town, only to find that my move was opposed by Frank MacKay. MacKay doesn't want anyone organizing without his prior approval. Sadly, that sounds a lot like what he has been wrongly critical of Jack Essenberg for in the past. I believe I had every right to organize under those rules.

Mr. MacKay apparently believes that I did this working as a leader of State Chair Jack Essenberg's so-called faction against his group. I did not. I don't like the division that has split this party in Suffolk and I want to see it end. I am simply trying to advance the interests of the Independence Party in Brookhaven. If the courts rule that the proxies held by MacKay are invalid, I will abide by that decision and support Chairman James F.X. Doyle in Suffolk. I hope Frank MacKay and his small group of followers will do the same.

There is a ray of hope in this long and continuing tale. The ongoing efforts to organize the remaining towns in Suffolk have apparently prompted a softening of Mr. MacKay's position. Quite recently he has reached out to some of the town organizers in an effort to strike a compromise with them and put an end to the continuing legal battles.