Suffolk Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey exits after reaching county's 12-year term limit

As the final Suffolk Legislature meeting of the year wrapped up earlier this month, Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey thanked his fellow lawmakers and reflected on his tenure.

"I like to think that I gave it my best and I left this county ..." he said before trailing off, overwhelmed by emotion. Legis. Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville), seated to his right, completed McCaffrey’s sentence, adding: "In a better place than I found it."

Then with a final tap of the gavel, McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) ended his last meeting as the legislature's leader, a position he's held for four years.

"I was trying to hold it together until the end there," McCaffrey, the Teamsters Local 707 president, recalled in an interview. "I couldn’t quite get it."

McCaffrey and Legis. Robert Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) both bid farewell to the legislature after reaching their 12-year term limit. Legis. Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead), who lost her reelection bid for the 1st District seat in November, also departs after one term that ends Wednesday. Three new members will be sworn in at Monday's organizational meeting: Republican Salvatore Formica in Trotta's 13th District, Republican RJ Renna in McCaffrey's 14th District and Democrat Greg Doroski in Stark's 1st District.

For McCaffrey, who in 2022 became the legislature’s first Republican presiding officer in 16 years, the new year marks the end of 36 consecutive years in elected office. He previously spent 24 years as a member of the Village of Lindenhurst board of trustees.

The legislature is expected to pick a new presiding officer at a meeting Monday.

"When that ball drops on Dec. 31 at midnight, it's all over for me," McCaffrey said, while acknowledging he hasn't ruled out another run for elected office "if it's the right opportunity."

Career reflections

At the Dec. 16 general meeting, McCaffrey reflected on his time in office and accomplishments, from helping the county secure a "financially stable budget" to boosting the ranks of the county police department to the creation of a new sewer fund.

And down to the final meeting, he praised the passing of legislation to strengthen laws against human trafficking at hotels and motels and passing new regulations to add safety requirements for electronic bikes and scooters.

"I really am proud of what we did together, collectively, and I mean collectively because across the aisle in many cases," he said, while citing bipartisan redistricting as one example.

He referenced the 2022 repeal of a $2.6 million campaign finance program and said that while Democrats didn’t entirely agree with the Republican-sponsored legislation, "we thought that money could be better spent" and the legislature redirected it to District Attorney Ray Tierney’s office to reinstate ShotSpotter technology, which detects gunshots.

As presiding officer working with 17 other elected officials, McCaffrey said he tried to bring everyone together and reach compromises, even when there were hard-liners in his own caucus. He said it was important to make sure everyone felt like they were "being heard and represented."

"I tell people just because I made it look easy doesn’t mean it is," he joked.

Steven Flotteron (R-Brightwaters), the deputy presiding officer, said in an interview that McCaffrey had the right temperament to manage all the personalities on the legislature. 

"Kevin did a great job bringing everyone together," he said.

Suffolk County Executive Edward P. Romaine, a Republican who took office in 2024, called McCaffrey his "partner" in government as they "worked together to build a safer and more affordable Suffolk County."

Looking ahead, McCaffrey told Newsday his advice to his successor as presiding officer would be: "Don't make rash decisions. Don't hold grudges."

Union spars

Trotta, a former Suffolk police detective before he was first elected, became a political lighting rod at times on the legislature, often sparring with police unions, particularly the Police Benevolent Association, which represents rank-and-file officers. 

He said he grew frustrated with the influence unions held and said his motivation was about looking out for taxpayers.

"I’m the guy fighting for the little guy," he said in an interview.

Reflecting on his tenure, Trotta said he was "ecstatic" he could help preserve about 70 acres throughout the Town of Smithtown, including 27 acres of a historic Owl Hill property in Fort Salonga. He also pointed to legislation he sponsored a decade ago requiring Suffolk hotels and businesses with public access to upgrade phone systems so anyone can dial 911 directly without having to first reach an outside line.

Federal legislation, known as Kari’s Law, followed in 2018 to ensure anyone can reach 911 when dialing from a multiline telephone system.

"I started a law that in Suffolk County — not many people can say this — that is now the law of the United States of America," he said.

Stark, who helped pass legislation to create a "Working Waterfronts" protection program, said during the Dec. 16 meeting that she had spent 30 years serving Suffolk residents in a variety of roles. Before her 2023 election, she served as chief of staff to former 1st District Legis. Al Krupski, a Democrat. 

"Every single place I moved, I learned something new," she said. "This has really been my family over the last 33 years, and I grew up here and I am going to miss every single one of you."

Legis. Nick Caracappa (C-Selden) praised all three outgoing lawmakers at the final general meeting. He said Stark was a "wealth of knowledge" in her community. 

He also recalled when he was first elected in 2020 and McCaffrey was the minority leader when the county was dealing with the pandemic and operating via Zoom meetings. He praised McCaffrey’s leadership, saying, "You kept us together."

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister joined Newsday in 2022 and covers Suffolk County government and politics. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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