Daniel P. Losquadro for Suffolk County comptroller

For the first time since 2015, Suffolk County will soon have a new chief financial officer and fiscal overseer. Current Comptroller John M. Kennedy Jr., a Republican, is term-limited after 12 years.

Republican Daniel P. Losquadro, the Brookhaven Town highway superintendent, is running for county comptroller and being challenged by Democrat Jonathan D. Estreich, a private attorney and major in the Army Reserve.

Losquadro has more municipal experience compared with Estreich, a former county prosecutor making his first run for office. But maintaining the good faith and credit of the county’s finances is more complex than plowing roads. The comptroller’s office will require Losquadro to act impartially in overseeing contracts, deny the county legislature superfluous budget requests, and leave politics at party headquarters.

The office also requires fairness in auditing contracts, especially those the county’s more vulnerable populations rely on, like temporary housing, social services, and domestic violence and substance abuse services.

Losquadro, 54, of Shoreham, said he paves roads in all of the town’s neighborhoods, regardless of the political party enrollment of the residents. Voters will need him to prove his independence by sniffing out possible fraud and corruption, whichever road it may lead down.

The county’s $4.59 billion budget dwarfs the roughly $64 million Losquadro oversees. If elected, he will need to learn fast on the job, a hugely important position with oversight of contracts and investing. Municipal finances across the nation face rising budgetary pressures, on pensions, fuel and cybersecurity. Suffolk County is no exception. The next four years — the length of the comptroller’s term — will likely entail significant challenges, both foreseen and yet unknown. A steady, disciplined and principled leader is needed.

Losquadro’s deep ties to Brookhaven’s Republican machine and Republican politics across the Island, however, raise eyebrows. His incredible fundraising prowess reveals his political acumen. But fundraising doesn’t equate to strict financial oversight and adherence to laws. Losquadro, if elected as the county’s top financial watchdog, will need to remain independent from donors, vendors and contractors seeking to influence the system.

Estreich, 46, of Dix Hills, is an experienced prosecutor with good ideas, who brings an outsider’s perspective. But his financial oversight and management experience is limited. He deserves credit for refusing to bow to party leaders and choosing to remain in the comptroller’s race. He was initially named the Democratic Party candidate for the State Senate and later switched to run for comptroller. Then, Estreich says, party leaders tried to push him off the ballot behind the scenes, but he resisted. He is a principled man who should seek elective office in the future, perhaps starting at the local level to learn the ins and outs of the process.

This office requires someone with financial expertise. Estreich’s relevant government experience is in investigating financial fraud.

Newsday endorses Losquadro.