Joseph Cairo at the annual Pat Cairo Foundation Golf Tournament, which raises money for cancer research in honor of his late wife, in Oceanside on July 25, Credit: Howard Schnapp. Cairo recalled that, just before leaving, Armand D'Amato introduced him to his brother, Alfonse, who was running for Hempstead Town supervisor. That chance meeting in marked the start of a long political career for Cairo, the new chairman of the Nassau Republican Committee.
Joseph Mondello, who led the organization for 35 years, passed the baton to Cairo in late May after becoming United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.
Along the way, Cairo, 72, developed a reputation as an expert political quarterback, rallying GOP committeemen in parking lots on weekends to get out the vote. Get the latest political news stories, from local elections and legislation to reaction to national events. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy. Now, he faces perhaps his toughest challenge: righting the Nassau GOP. Since , registered Democrats have outnumbered Republicans in Nassau and the number of nonaligned voters has grown.
In , there were , Democrats, , Republicans and , nonaligned voters, according to the county board of elections. Critics question whether Cairo is the right person to lead the party into a new era. Cairo also has had ethical problems. He never faced criminal charges and said his license was reinstated in This used to be the finest Republican machine in the country, but the old way of doing business is just not going to cut it anymore.
Martins, who lost the county executive's race to Democrat Laura Curran last November, said Republicans' fortunes in important state and federal races in November will hinge on effectively communicating: Who is best to protect the electorate and the communities here on Long Island? Martins, who has known Cairo for 20 years, says he believes the new chairman is up to the job. Cairo says the county committee plans to reach out to younger voters through social media.
