UPDATE: Galla Off the Air, At Least for Now, at WRIV

Following his unanimous election as chair of the Riverhead Republican Committee on Wednesday night, John Galla was not back to his day job on Thursday morning as a disc jockey at local radio station 1390 WRIV-AM, and it is unclear when, or if, he will return. 

"I'm not prepared to say what will happen," said Bruce Tria, owner of WRIV. "But there is no precedent in New York State of a political party leader being on the radio every day. A committee member? Maybe."

Tria said that he and Galla have been friends for 33 years, and his victory last night wasn't a complete surprise - though the unanimous vote did surprise him. Tria said he will play music during Galla's shift.

Galla, reached on Thursday afternoon, also cited the longstanding relationship between he and Tria. He added that he would be meeting with Tria on Friday to discuss his program's future, though whatever the outcome, he said the decision would be mutual.

"I recpect Bruce and Vince (Tria) tremendously," Galla said. "And I respect the listeners. The airwaves don't belong to me, so we'll have to do what's right. It's a gray area though.

"I wouldn't want my new position to have any adverse affect on the Trias, nor on my industry."

Galla described his on-air content as "90 to 95 percent pure entertainment," though he did point out a discussion last week on gas taxes.

When asked what he would do if the roles were reversed - if he owned a radio station and had a DJ elected as a party chair - Galla said he wouldn't know what to do.

Vinny Villella, chair of the Riverhead Democrats, said he was unsurprised to hear the news of "The Radio Factory's" absence with Galla in the usual 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. spot. 

"I had heard that," he said. "It's a conflict of interest. But John is a war horse, he's good and he knows his politics. He's been involved with Riverhead town, good and bad, over the years. I wish him luck."

Galla said his experience in Riverhead politics dates back over 30 years to 1979. He worked on Perry Duryea's 1978 run for governor, in charge of the former assemblyman's broadcast communications. He has since worked in advertising and has been on WRIV for the past five years.

Moving forward with the Riverhead Republican Committee, Galla said that he and his peers have multiple tasks ahead of them before this fall's elections. Among them include working on the party's campaign strategy, raising funds, surveying local residents, and interviewing candidates for office.