Dean Murray to head John Kennedy's campaign for Suffolk County executive

Suffolk County Comptroller John Kennedy has named former GOP Assemb. Dean Murray as his campaign manager for  the county executive race.

Murray, 54, of East Patchogue, served for seven years in the Assembly but lost his bid for a state Senate seat last fall to former Suffolk County Legis. Monica Martinez, a Brentwood Democrat.

The decision to put Murrary in charge of the campaign came after discussions  among Murray, Kennedy and Brookhaven GOP chairman Jesse Garcia, who is expected to become Suffolk GOP chairman later this month.

“John and I have always gotten along and were on the same page on issues and have the same work ethic of starting the day at 100 mph and ending it the same way,” Murray said.

Murray’s own electoral history has had ups and downs. He lost his first bid for public office, a seat on the Suffolk County Legislature. Later he won a special election for Assembly, lost the seat to former Brookhaven Town Board member Edward Hennessey, but took the seat back two years later.

Murray owns D & S Advertising, puts out the Long Island “Fugitive Finder” and “Job Finder” publications and runs a “Long Island Pet Lover” website.

Bellone spokesman Jason Elan called it “ironic that Kennedy hired a former Tea Party legislator while he’s been double-taxing homeowners on their new septic systems." That was a reference to a dispute between Bellone and Kennedy over tax treatment of grants paid to contractors and homeowners for high-tech home septic systems.