State Sen. Thomas Morahan dies at Age 78

Longtime Republican lawmaker Thomas Morahan of New City died Monday after a six-month battle with leukemia. He was 78.

Morahan, a former state Assembly member and former longtime Rockland County Legislature member, was Rockland's state senator. He had decided not to seek re-election this year to focus on his work in the Senate and in an effort to fight his illness.

He died at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center with his family at his bedside.

"Today we lost a giant of Rockland County and New York State Government," said Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski, D-New City.  "Tom Morahan was a true statesman.  He had an authentic and straightforward style that transcended partisan politics. Tom was more than just a politician, he was an integral part of the fabric of Rockland County."

Morahan won his Senate seat in a race against Zebrowski's father, Kenneth Zebrowski of New City, who was a county Legislature member. When illness hit the elder Zebrowski—and claimed his life—Morahan was a close supporter of Zebrowski and the Zebrowski family.

"During his decades-long relationship with my father, and over the past three years as colleagues in the State Legislature, I was fortunate to get to know Tom on a personal and professional level," Assemblyman Zebrowski said. "He was a friend and mentor who had a vast array of wisdom from his childhood, military, business and political experiences.  My heart and prayers go out to the entire Morahan family as Tom was first and foremost a devoted family man."

Even as his health declined, Morahan showed constant dedication to his constituents, checking up on pending legislation and making frequent calls to his staff, said Ron Levine, his communications director.

"We were all hoping he was going to beat this," said Levine.

Morahan never lost touch with the fact he was a public servant, he added.

"Even though he was in great pain, he was very much concerned (about his constituents) and was continually asking us to make sure legislation was being passed," he said.

Morahan began his government service as a member of the Clarkstown Zoning Board of Appeals. In 1977, he was elected as a Rockland County Legislator. In 1980, he was elected to the state Assembly.

In 1984, Morahan returned to the Rockland County Legislature. In 1996, he was elected unanimously to serve as chairman of the Rockland County Legislature. 

In the state Senate, he represented the residents of the five Rockland County towns of Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown, Ramapo, and Stony Point and the two Orange County towns of Tuxedo and Warwick for more than a decade. He was the chairman of the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Committee. He started his sixth state Senate term in 2009.

Despite being city-born and raised, Morahan truly enjoyed the more rural nature of parts of his district, often stopping while driving through the district to chat with a local farmer or to take in a local event, Levine said.

"I was just overwhelmed by how much he loved and enjoyed the job," he said.

Another thing Morahan loved was to sing, Levine said. The senator frequently would sing during the car trip to Albany, regaling the passengers with his tenor voice, most often on old-school country songs, Levine said.

"In his second life, he said he'd want to be a singer in a café," he said.

Morahan spent 41 days in the hospital in the early spring receiving treatment for his leukemia. He received a standing ovation April 7 when he returned for a short time to the floor of the Legislature. One of his last acts as a lawmaker was to oversee the passage through the Senate of his landmark bill to allow employees subject to an abusive work environment to file civil suits.

During his career in the New York State Senate, Morahan often effectively collaborated with colleagues on both sides of the aisle. One of the reasons Morahan was able to succeed in the Senate was because he was a straight-shooter, not a game-player or a name-caller, Levine said.

"When he came into the room, he pretty much said 'let's get down to business,' " said Levine, who worked for Morahan since he entered the Senate in 1999, the last six as his communications director. "He was a commonsense guy who would tell you like it is."

Among the many local institutions supported by Morahan, he was a strong backer of Rockland Community College. This spring, Morahan was honored by the college, which awarded him one of the school's first honorary degrees.

Clarkstown Councilman George Hoehmann said Morahan dedicated his life to public service and had an impact that far surpassed those whom he represented in Rockland County.

"His advocacy for the disabled and those afflicted with mental illness is legendary throughout New York State," said Hoehmann, who is also chief operating officer of Camp Venture in Nanuet. "Among the statewide legislation he authored was that coverage was finally given to families grappling with mental illness long denied by insurance companies. As the chair of the Senate Committee for Developmental Disabilities and Mental Illness he was able to achieve this and other far ranging landmark legislation for millions of New Yorkers that has had an impact nationally. This along with his personal advocacy for the agencies that served these populations will long be remembered across all of New York State."

Hoehmann said a character trait of Morahan that he will always remember was that he was a good person who loved a good fight for the people.

"In these difficult times I will miss this attribute most of all - Tom Morahan was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and fight for what was right," Hoehmann said. "He has had an impact at every level of government that he served and he will be deeply missed--all of us are a little worse off today and saddened by his passing." 

Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican, and Clarkstown Town Clerk David Carlucci, a New City Democrat, are running for Morahan's seat in the November election.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Senator Morahan's passing. My thoughts are with his family in their time of mourning," said Carlucci. "His years of service to the people of the 38th District and of New York were exemplary. Like his colleagues in the Senate and people across the district, I had a deep affection and respect for him.  I believe I speak for all residents of Rockland and Orange Counties when I say that we have been proud to call him 'Senator' over the last decade."

Vincent Reda, chairman of the Rockland County Republican Party, described Morahan as "unreplaceable."

"He was my dear friend for 35 years," a somber Reda said of Morahan. "We started our political careers together. I was one of his first campaign managers when he first ran for the county Legislature."

Reda said Morahan particularly made his mark on Rockland County while serving as chairman of the Legislature.

"He was one of the finest, if not the finest chairman we've ever had in the Legislature," Reda said. "It was his ability to get it done that made a difference. He was able to work with people from both sides of the political aisle. He just had a wonderful way with people."

Reda, who said he last met with Morahan about three weeks ago, noted that proof of Morahan's ability to work well with people remained evident with his political popularity in Rockland - where Democrats have a huge majority over Republicans in the ranks of registered voters.

"In our last polls we did in January Tom was still incredibly popular, with a 72 percent approval rating," Reda said.

Rockland County Legislature member Ed Day, a New City Republican, said Morahan was an effective lawmaker because he did not get bogged down in political battles.

"Tom was the epitome of a true statesman, one who stayed above the political fray we knew to be Albany while maintaining his focus on the true mission of a representative - getting good things done for the constituents he served," said Day.

Day recalled that it was first as a civic association leader in New City -- and later as a legislator -- that he got to know Morahan.

"He extolled the virtues of listening and acting upon the needs of the people, regardless of the winds of politics," Day said. "He knew there are no shortcuts in being a good legislator, and rightfully noted that there was nothing worse than playing to the people's fears. He was a giant who took time to help me stay the course of common sense representation of service to the people."

Born in the Bronx on Oct. 11, 1931, Morahan was the youngest of four children. A veteran of the Korean War, he served with the U.S. Army Flash Ranger Battalion, attaining the rank of staff sergeant.

In 1952,  Morahan married Helen Killion. In 1963, they moved to Rockland County where they lived in Clarkstown and raised seven daughters, who eventually had 17 grandchildren. That family was by him at the end, Levine said.

"He had a very, very devoted family who were all there," he said.

New City Patch writer Robert Berczuk contributed to this report.