Suffolk staffer loses job after complaints

A Suffolk political appointee lost his job last week after he and his girlfriend publicly protested his reassignment.

Democrat Kirk Cronk most recently was the county labor department's $80,023-a-year head of business services. Upon being moved to a lower-profile role, Cronk acknowledged disagreeing with superiors over the department's direction.

The reassignment drew inquiries from lawmakers and social-media postings by his girlfriend, board of health member Tracy Trypuc, that implied opponents of her efforts to regulate the energy drink industry targeted Cronk. Labor Commissioner Sammy Chu said he couldn't comment but a county source said Cronk's reassignment was unrelated to Trypuc's energy-drink campaign.-- Paul LaRocco