Editorial: Calarco in Suffolk 7th District
Rob Calarco, Democratic candidate for the Suffolk County Legislature, 7th District (May 18, 2011) Credit: David Pokress
Many of the critical issues Suffolk County faces have burned hottest in this legislative district. It's where four innocents were massacred in a drugstore, riveting attention on the county's prescription drug problem. It's where Ecuadorean Marcelo Lucero was murdered in a burst of anti-immigrant violence. And it's where Patchogue Village has set the standard for the sort of smart growth the county needs.
Come January it will be represented by a political novice. Democrat Robert Calarco, 32, of Patchogue, and Republican John Giannott, 40, of East Patchogue are vying for the job vacated by Jack Eddington, who decided not to seek re-election.
The two don't differ on many things. Both support expanded use of red-light cameras, for instance, a public-private partnership to run the Foley nursing home, and housing homeless sex offenders in mini-shelters scattered around the county. Each would bring an inclusive perspective to the immigration debate. And they both want the county to hire more police -- which is unrealistic, given the economic climate and what police are paid.
The difference is Calarco -- who has a master's degree in public administration and has been Eddington's chief of staff for six years -- has a better grasp of the complexities of the issues and what it takes to get things done. For instance, he has a proposal to create a county traffic enforcement bureau to capture some of the revenue from tickets that now goes to Albany. That could help fund programs such as more community policing and returning specialized police units, such as drug enforcement, to local precincts.
Giannott, who owns Porters on the Lane and Carla Marla's Ice Cream Parlor in Bellport, understands, firsthand, the need for the county to make life easier for business. He's pragmatic and passionate about expediting health department and other permit processes for start-up companies like the second ice cream store he lost because of the long wait for permits.
But Calarco has the edge in political savvy and experience with the range of issues affecting this diverse district. Newsday endorses Calarco.
