Tom Cilmi, Republican incumbent candidate for Suffolk County Legislature District...

Tom Cilmi, Republican incumbent candidate for Suffolk County Legislature District 10, poses for a portrait at the party's countywide political convention held at the Portuguese American Center in Farmingville on Feb. 25, 2019. Credit: James Escher

Thomas Cilmi has been a budget scold throughout his 10 years in the legislature, and with his last term beckoning, he’s not backing off now.

Cilmi, 55, of Bay Shore, pushed successfully for multiyear budget planning and a more open legislative budget process, wants to reduce unnecessary county bonding, and is proposing spending reductions in social services and police accounts; a 3% cut in both, he says, would save $45 million.

Cilmi, the GOP caucus leader, wants to continue his work with the county’s land bank program, which cleans up contaminated properties and puts them back into productive use and on the tax rolls. He says the controversial red-light camera program must be revamped to de-emphasize right-on-red violations.

His opponent, Democrat Joseph Hagelmann, 76, of Ronkonkoma, is not actively campaigning.

Cilmi’s call for fiscal sanity continues to resonate.

Newsday endorses Cilmi.

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