Opinion

Endorsements

OPSCLG2023

The Editorial Board

This year’s battle for seats in the Suffolk County Legislature occurs in the shadow of the race to succeed County Executive Steve Bellone.&nbsp;Going into the election, Republicans command 11 of 18 legislative seats, just one shy of a supermajority, resulting from the 2021 regional “red wave.” 
 These contests take place on a redrawn battlefield. In the once-a-decade redistricting process, the major parties managed to agree, after posturing and negotiation, on a map that&nbsp;for the first time&nbsp;includes four districts where ethnic minorities are in the majority. The result, as usual for the process, is the creation of new boundary lines&nbsp;that shifted some communities in and out of the old districts. 
 The new legislative class will be responsible for responding to a series of changing circumstances in a county of more than 1.5 million people. Each lawmaker's&nbsp;positions&nbsp;could have an impact on the local effects of rising sea levels, water quality and solid waste removal,&nbsp;county spending and taxes, services, economic&nbsp;development, affordability of new housing, and the destructive effects&nbsp;of drug addiction. 
 The current legislature this year left hanging an important item of business — action to fund the replacement of&nbsp;hundreds of thousands of outdated septic systems with modern equipment that removes nitrogen from wastewater, which is harmful to ecosystems, as well as add new sewers. 
 How quickly a new version of the plan, requiring voter approval of a minuscule rise in the county sales tax, can be advanced next year&nbsp;remains to be seen, with the current crop of Democratic and Republican&nbsp;candidates showing some division on the details. 
 The approaching closing of the Brookhaven landfill, which accepts ash and construction-and-demolition waste, poses not just a county challenge but a regional one, testing whether lawmakers can help forge plans for recycling and disposal that improve on a patchwork of town-by-town solutions. 
 The next legislative term will also show the public the degree to which the county’s police unions influence legislation and policy of interest to their members, how well abuses have been curbed, and the ability of the county to fully recover from the major cyber-hack that has staggered services. 
 Underlying all these questions is whether county lawmakers regardless of party can provide constructive, independent oversight and input regardless of who becomes county executive. The Newsday editorial board’s endorsements are based on&nbsp;consideration of such&nbsp;issues.

Editorials

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Suffolk County legislative districts have changed but important issues remain

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The 1st District covers the area&nbsp;from Wading River and Manorville eastward to Orient Point and Fishers Island and parts of western Southampton Town. 
 Albert J. Krupski Jr. has served the 1st District for&nbsp;11 years with distinction. Now that he is running for Southold Town supervisor, voters don't have to look far for someone who would offer a seamless transition. 
 Krupski's chief of staff for most&nbsp;of that tenure, Catherine L. Stark, is running to replace him. She has worked in Suffolk County government since 1996.&nbsp;She is fluent in every issue,&nbsp;knows the facts that fuel every debate, and understands well the unique terrain she would represent. 
 Stark, 60, a Riverhead Republican, prioritizes water quality and land preservation, issues of vital interest throughout the county. She wants to see more sewage treatment plants discharge their effluent onto land so water&nbsp;returns to and replenishes the aquifer. She advocates for a food waste program to increase composting and reduce the amount of garbage in the waste stream. She is a strong supporter of the police but departs from party dogma by saying that the legislature needs to exercise more oversight and should have a seat at the negotiating table during&nbsp;contract talks. 
 Stark notes some areas of disagreement with her boss — notably, the tabled proposal for a referendum on funding sewers and innovative septic systems. She applauds the goal&nbsp;but decries the method chosen to achieve it, arguing that the plan should never have been part of the governor's budget and that it was not clearly written.&nbsp;The legislature sorely needs a stickler for process. And she says she would have voted for a special counsel to investigate the county cyber hack. 
 Democrat Catherine A. Kent, 67, of Baiting Hollow, is a former Riverhead Town councilwoman and a retired elementary school teacher. She&nbsp;has the right instincts. She knows affordability is a top concern, supports the sewer/septic referendum, and emphasizes preserving open space, an issue of critical importance on the North Fork.&nbsp;She also wants to protect the aquifer by reorienting homeowners away from valuing lush green lawns and supports requiring developers to pay for clean water infrastructure. 
 But she's running&nbsp;against someone who not only shares her concerns but would be skilled at turning priorities into realities. Stark&nbsp;understands residents' affordability concerns and says she wants to make Long Island &quot;a place to live, not leave.&quot; And she wants to make the legislature a less partisan body focused more on performance than politics. Suffolk needs her brand of moderate practicality. 
 Newsday endorses Stark.

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Catherine L. Stark for Suffolk Legislative District 1

Newsday endorses Stark for Suffolk Legislative District 1

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The 2nd&nbsp;District covers East Hampton Town and most of Southampton Town. 
 The East End will have new faces in the legislature next year with both of the region's seats up for grabs. That puts a premium on voters selecting candidates who can argue persuasively on their behalf from the get-go. 
 The contestants for the South Fork seat held by the retiring Bridget Fleming are Democrat&nbsp;Ann E. Welker, a&nbsp;Southampton Town trustee, and Republican Manuel Vilar Jr., a retired state parks police officer. Both know the district well&nbsp;but would come to the job with different approaches. 
 Welker's passion is the environment, a critical asset in an area that has long been on the front lines of climate change and rising seas, land preservation, and water quality.&nbsp;Welker, 60, of Southampton, refers to herself as a &quot;water woman&quot; who grew up on the ocean. Now, in her role as a town trustee, she is responsible for more than 25,000 acres of the town's shores, waterways, marshes and bottomlands.&nbsp; 
 Welker&nbsp;is a strong supporter of the tabled plan to let residents vote on a funding stream for sewers and high-tech septic systems, but is sensibly willing to compromise on the funding formula to move it forward. To deal with the county's looming garbage crisis, she proposes regular townwide swap meets to increase reuse of products, a big expansion of composting, and a broadening of the state bottle bill to boost glass recycling. She stresses the importance of living shorelines to deal with rising seas. To address dire housing needs, she says county properties going to auction should be given to nonprofits and smaller municipalities to build affordable units. 
 Vilar, of East Hampton, who turns 63 later this week,&nbsp;is a&nbsp;consummate inside player. As the former&nbsp;president of the Police Benevolent Association of New York State and current Albany lobbyist, he knows everyone and understand the issues well. But while he espouses out-of-the-box thinking and considering &quot;the big picture,&quot; he&nbsp;doesn't offer many original solutions to pressing needs. 
 Vilar's lobbying firm focuses on public employee health insurance and green energy and he says he would pass his clients on to partner firms if elected. However, he would not commit to stepping down as East Hampton Town Republican Party leader if elected. That is a deal-breaker; politics and governance must be kept separate. 
 Welker's zest for environmental protection would suit her district and the county well. 
 Newsday endorses Welker.

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Ann E. Welker for Suffolk Legislative District 2

Newsday endorses Welker for Suffolk Legislative District 2

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The 3rd&nbsp;District covers southeastern Brookhaven Town. 
 James F. Mazzarella admits that there's a &quot;learning curve&quot; to the county lawmaker job. But the Moriches Republican, who's completing his first full term after winning a special election in the spring of 2021,&nbsp;seems to be learning fairly quickly.&nbsp; 
 As chair of the legislature's economic development, planning and housing committee, Mazzarella has dug in to some of the county's most significant issues and can rattle off key development projects he's tracking, including the potential for a solar farm and Metropolitan Transportation Authority train yard at the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site in Port Jefferson Station, the Smith Point Bridge replacement, housing and revitalization efforts in Bellport, and the ongoing Forge River sewer project. In his short time in office, Mazzarella, 57, also has focused on&nbsp;policing and the investigation into the county cyber hack. 
 Democrat Thaddeus I. O'Neill cares deeply about environmental issues and is particularly concerned about the legislature's inability to get the&nbsp;Water Quality Restoration Act on the ballot. A small-business owner&nbsp;who also runs an environmental&nbsp;nonprofit, he rightly points to concerns about speeding and reckless driving and emphasizes the need to better address the opioid crisis. The&nbsp;Brookhaven hamlet&nbsp;resident says it's worth examining&nbsp;national and international models of how the county can better handle its solid waste and&nbsp;promote affordable housing.&nbsp;But O'Neill, 47, lacks the&nbsp;specific understanding needed of both the county and his district in order&nbsp;to employ&nbsp;such ideas here. 
 Mazzarella has an&nbsp;opportunity to use his reasonable voice and detailed knowledge to move the county and&nbsp;district forward. But he should&nbsp;think bigger about the role the legislature can play and the work he can do on the county's significant needs, including&nbsp;police oversight and economic development.&nbsp; 
 Newsday endorses Mazzarella.

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James F. Mazzarella for Suffolk Legislative District 3

Newsday endorses Mazzarella for Suffolk Legislative District 3

The 4th&nbsp;District covers central Brookhaven Town, including Farmingville and parts of Centereach, Holtsville, Coram and Medford. 
 The website of the Suffolk County&nbsp;Democratic Party simply&nbsp;lists the name&nbsp;Tim Hall; his campaign is nonexistent. The Republican nominee is incumbent Nicholas J. Caracappa of Selden, who won a special election to replace&nbsp;the late Thomas Muratore in 2021. Caracappa declined to be interviewed. 
 Newsday makes no endorsement.&nbsp;

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No endorsement in Suffolk Legislative District 4

Newsday makes no endorsement in Suffolk Legislative District 4

The 5th&nbsp;District covers northwestern&nbsp;Brookhaven Town south to Stony Brook and Terryville. 
 The 5th District sits&nbsp;with its northern border on Long Island Sound and&nbsp;right in the crosswinds of the region’s partisan politics. This fall it offers a unique contest between Steven C. Englebright, 77, of Setauket, a Democrat long known statewide as a leader on environmental causes, and Anthony M. Figliola, 42, of East Setauket, a Republican consultant and lobbyist seeking his first elected office. 
 Both are back on the campaign trail after&nbsp;election losses last November. Englebright was unexpectedly swept out of his 30-year Assembly seat in a regional red tide.&nbsp;First-time candidate Figliola ran third in a three-way congressional primary against the eventual winner, Republican Rep. Nick LaLota.&nbsp;The county seat became vacant in August when term-limited Kara Hahn&nbsp;was named&nbsp;Long Island deputy director for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. 
 The timing is fortuitous for Suffolk. The county's environmental challenges are enormous, and Englebright, a geologist, was perhaps the most influential proponent of environmental causes in Albany. Now he seeks to continue that work in&nbsp;the county legislature, where he’s served before. He's frustrated by&nbsp;the chamber's 11th-hour failure last month to send a referendum to voters to fund wastewater treatment that would stop cesspool damage to the aquifer system.&nbsp;Figliola says the GOP majority was right to&nbsp;table the proposal&nbsp;— which calls for a .125%&nbsp;bump in the county sales tax — saying more “flexibility” is needed in&nbsp;allocating&nbsp;funding between new septic systems and sewer expansion. 
 To encourage housing development, Englebright supports a plan he proposed years ago that would create hundreds of units around three adjacent shopping centers&nbsp;in Setauket. Figliola is less than specific when he calls for housing “based upon what the community wants” in a particular place, such as Port Jefferson Station. 
 Englebright speaks of pushing to get more equitable&nbsp;taxation between more and less expensive houses.&nbsp;On solid waste management and landfills, both candidates say regional coordination is needed to meet the challenge. But Englebright has been a legislative pioneer in recycling plastics and as sponsor of cutting-edge climate legislation in Albany; he has a sophisticated&nbsp;sense of how to prepare for ecological storms ahead. 
 In assailing the Island’s lack of affordability, Figliola offers only small suggestions to solve it, such as reducing fuel taxes and chucking red-light cameras so&nbsp;residents don't have to pay fines.&nbsp;The latter, he says, “have not increased safety to the level we would have hoped.” Figliola, who runs Empire Government Strategies in Uniondale, also evokes the rise of a “new class of citizen legislators” by citing bromides about community, family and country. He calls for thinking “outside the box” — but it’s tough to say just what new things he’d initiate. 
 Newsday endorses Englebright.

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Steven C. Englebright for Suffolk Legislative District 5

Newsday endorses Englebright for Suffolk Legislative District 5

The 6th District covers northeastern Brookhaven Town from Mount Sinai east and&nbsp;south to Yaphank. 
 This district can be found in the northeast portion of Brookhaven Town, an area still graced with farmland as well as suburban homes. 
 Contending for the seat left vacant by Democrat Sarah Anker, who is term-limited, are Republican Chad H. Lennon, 43, of Rocky Point, an attorney with a background in military law and national&nbsp;security, and Democrat Dorothy Cavalier, also an attorney, who has served as Anker’s chief of staff for the past four years. 
 Cavalier, 54, of Mount Sinai, impresses with her knowledge of the legislature’s inner workings and her commitment to constituent service. She stresses the need to build workforce housing, especially&nbsp;for young people,&nbsp;and working with the schools, especially to promote fine arts. Cavalier is committed to numerous issues championed by&nbsp;Anker, including traffic safety, public health and the environment. She is particularly committed to getting a water quality referendum on the ballot that would help upgrade the county's sewage and septic systems. 
 While it would be expected that a legislative aide&nbsp;would track closely to her former boss' positions, Cavalier&nbsp;appears more than ready to prove she is a leader on her own. 
 Lennon works for a private law firm and is a major in the Marine Corps Reserve. He is deeply committed to veterans issues. In 2021, he walked 22 miles with others to bring public attention to the epidemic of suicide among veterans. As a Purple Heart recipient, he wants to translate his service to the nation to the local level.&nbsp;If elected, Lennon says he would stress budgetary restraint and public safety, drawing upon his past knowledge about military security.&nbsp;Lennon says he is well-suited&nbsp;to help Suffolk recover from its crippling ransomware attack that threw many county services offline for weeks, sometimes months. 
 Lennon&nbsp;says he&nbsp;wants to hire more police officers without&nbsp;specifying a number, &quot;just that we need more&quot; to fight gangs and drug traffickers, he said, and&nbsp;to promote more officers to detectives. He's&nbsp;unlikely&nbsp;to look for needed cost savings such as reducing overtime. 
 Cavalier, by comparison, says she will look for cost savings in police contracts. She&nbsp;also seems more likely to represent the multiple and complex&nbsp;interests of her district and&nbsp;ready to act effectively from her first day in office. 
 Newsday endorses Cavalier.

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Dorothy Cavalier for Suffolk Legislative District 6

Newsday endorses Cavalier for Suffolk Legislative District 6

The 7th District covers southwestern Brookhaven Town including Gordon Heights and parts of Medford and Coram. 
 It was&nbsp;quite a surprise two years ago when Dominick S. Thorne knocked off the legislature's&nbsp;presiding officer, Robert Calarco. Now the Patchogue Republican&nbsp;is the&nbsp;focus of Democratic attention, drawing&nbsp;an opponent with considerable experience: fellow Patchogue resident Ryan P. McGarry, chief of staff for the Suffolk Association of Municipal Employees union who also spent 10 years in the county executive offices of Steve Bellone and Steve Levy. Both candidates know&nbsp;the workings of government and both have a history of volunteerism as Patchogue firefighters. 
 Thorne, 56, is so familiar with his district one gets the feeling he knows when a crack appears in a sidewalk. Asked about accomplishments in his first term, he points to stop signs in Blue Point, restoring $184,000 in funding&nbsp;for the Boys &amp; Girls Club in Bellport, a deal with the private sector to put&nbsp;a new roof on the VFW hall in Medford, and a joint effort with Bellone's administration to solve a flooding issue with Canaan Lake. 
 Thorne also worked with community leaders in Gordon Heights on improving safety at a bus stop plagued by prostitution and drug use, which they did by pulling out the shelter at the bus stop and improving communication&nbsp;with police. Now he says he wants to bring relief to the&nbsp;2.2-square-mile community plagued with 23 unlawful boardinghouses, with plans underway to purchase a 9-acre plot for an affordable housing development with stores on the ground floor. 
 McGarry, 41, said his focus would be on infrastructure — transportation,&nbsp;energy and especially clean&nbsp;water, expressing frustration at the stalled referendum to fund sewers and new septic systems. He wants to hire more police officers to address quality-of-life crimes and supports an affordable housing plan to identify redundant county space, consolidate offices, and offer &quot;generous&quot; lease terms on&nbsp;the vacant&nbsp;buildings to developers willing to meet a quota of affordable housing units. 
 McGarry&nbsp;clearly is qualified for the job, but Thorne has earned another term. &quot;I'm just getting going,&quot; he says. Now he needs to come through on his promise to focus on&nbsp;underserved Gordon Heights. 
 Newsday endorses Thorne.

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Dominick S. Thorne for Suffolk Legislative District 7

Newsday endorses Thorne for Suffolk Legislative District 7

The 8th District covers Islip Town eastward from Oakdale. 
 Once upon a not-so-long-ago time, Anthony A. Piccirillo was the consummate outsider in the legislature, a bomb-throwing antagonist&nbsp;and thorn in the side of nearly everyone, from opposition Democrats to his own Republican caucus and even the powerful police unions. 
 Now&nbsp;Piccirillo, 40, of Holtsville, is seeking his third term and while still not exactly mainstream, he is becoming a more consequential player in the chamber. He chairs&nbsp;the committee investigating Suffolk's cyberattack and insisted it hire as outside counsel respected former U.S. attorney Richard Donoghue. Piccirillo also chairs the pivotal Environment, Parks and Agriculture Committee, giving him a leading hand in some of the county's most pressing issues. 
 And it's clear he has been doing his homework. He strongly advocates for sewers in parts of his district where he says even modern septic systems are not feasible, but says any expansion of sewers should&nbsp;be accompanied by new infrastructure to pump the clean effluent back into the ground to recharge the aquifer.&nbsp;On the issue of rising seas, he pushes coastal resiliency in some areas and hardening in others. And he says more community meetings must be held about Suffolk's garbage problem with the focus on taking waste off the Island by rail. 
 Piccirillo also wrote a bill that requires someone&nbsp;to show identification&nbsp;when bringing a catalytic converter to a junkyard to help track stolen devices.&nbsp; 
 But the rebel in Piccirillo lingers. He expresses&nbsp;skepticism about the leadership of more moderate Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey. &quot;The jury is out on Kevin as presiding officer,&quot; Piccirillo said. Other members further to the right in the Republican caucus have talked about elevating Piccirillo to the post. He says that would be a matter for the full caucus to discuss and that he is &quot;leaning toward no,&quot; adding that &quot;I wouldn't want to forfeit my independence.&quot; 
 Whatever the resolution, a responsibly&nbsp;independent Piccirillo would be a boon to the legislature. 
 His opponent, Democrat Heather Gallagher, is not actively campaigning. 
 Newsday endorses Piccirillo.

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Anthony A. Piccirillo for Suffolk Legislative District 8

Newsday endorses Piccirillo for Suffolk Legislative District 8

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The 9th District covers parts of Islip Town including Brentwood&nbsp;and parts of Central Islip, Islip, Bay Shore, and&nbsp;Hauppuage 
 With a hopeful outlook on the future, Democratic incumbent Samuel J. Gonzalez, 62, of Brentwood, takes pride in the strides he has made to&nbsp;help&nbsp;enhance&nbsp;public safety, which he said have&nbsp;led to a reduction in the crime rate and fostered&nbsp;a stronger sense of security in his district. Gonzalez can pinpoint specific streets and neighborhoods he has worked to clean up and improve,&nbsp;particularly noting a&nbsp;new bus hub in Brentwood and the ongoing revitalization of downtown Central Islip,&nbsp;which&nbsp;he said&nbsp;can be the &quot;next Patchogue.&quot;&nbsp; 
 Gonzalez ruefully recalls that when he joined&nbsp;the legislature in 2019, &quot;I thought I can&nbsp;change the world immediately.&quot; While it hasn't been that easy, Gonzalez said he has made progress but has more to do. With&nbsp;Central Islip's remake underway, he hopes Brentwood will be &quot;the next phase,&quot; with an emphasis on&nbsp;guaranteeing that native Long Islanders can afford to live in the area without financial strain. Affordable housing is center stage in that effort, a crucial component in retaining current residents and discouraging them from seeking housing elsewhere. But he rightly notes that affordable housing isn't always actually affordable, so he wants to encourage developers to commit to building projects with higher percentages of truly affordable housing with the first priority going&nbsp;to&nbsp;local residents, especially &quot;our children.&quot; 
 Republican Teresa J. Bryant, 60, of Central Islip, is a certified legal nurse consultant who has worked for the Suffolk County Department of Social Services and the Central Islip school district. She has more than 30 years experience as a community leader, including with the Islip chapter of the NAACP and the Central Islip Civic Council. Bryant&nbsp;decided to run due to a significant decline in the quality of life she said she&nbsp;witnessed since moving to the area in 1976. She emphasized the need for a county park in the district, and spoke&nbsp;of bolstering public safety and tackling homelessness. But&nbsp;on most issues, she has&nbsp;few disagreements with Gonzalez's strategies and opinions, and lacks the&nbsp;depth of knowledge the district needs. 
 Gonzalez’s dedication to and knowledge of the community&nbsp;are exemplary.&nbsp; 
 Newsday endorses Gonzalez.

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Samuel J. Gonzalez for Suffolk Legislative District 9

Newsday endorses Gonzalez for Suffolk Legislative District 9

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The 10th District covers the central part of Islip Town from Great River and East Islip north to Islandia, Ronkonkoma and parts of Hauppauge. 
 Incumbent Trish Bergin,&nbsp;a Republican who previously served for 12 years on the Islip Town Council&nbsp;after a career in television news, is seeking a second term. 
 Her Democratic challenger, Derek P. Stein, not nearly as well known, has a few years of experience working behind the scenes as an aide for two county legislators —&nbsp;Al Krupski and former presiding officer DuWayne Gregory. In that capacity, Stein, 28, a&nbsp;lifelong Central Islip resident, helped with the Youth Anti-Bullying Task Force and a similar one devoted to fair housing. Stein favors increasing the number of affordable units required for any housing project receiving Industrial Development Agency tax benefits. He also favors more housing in transit corridors,&nbsp;abandoned strip malls and empty office space. 
 Stein displays an impressive knowledge of how county government works and provides some vision for the future. On the issue of rising sea levels, he favors discussion of possible buyouts of flood-prone properties when sea walls and sand-replacement projects fail to prevent flooding. He also wants the county to get more involved regionally in solving solid waste problems. He said Suffolk could play more of a central role in promoting&nbsp;recycling centers and transfer stations used right now by individual Suffolk towns. 
 In her first term,&nbsp;Bergin, 52, advocated for&nbsp;mammography breast cancer screening, and hosted&nbsp;mobile vans at local sites.&nbsp;Bergin says she favors the environment, but she failed to support a recent much-needed plan to create a funding stream for sewers and advanced septic systems, something Stein says he would have voted for. Though Fire Island&nbsp;is not in her district, Bergin said&nbsp;she has property there and is concerned about rising sea levels. She said she defers to coastal experts about the best solutions for erosion. But she favors sewers for Fire Island as a way to avoid&nbsp;polluting&nbsp;the Great South Bay. Bergin,&nbsp;who lives in East Islip, has supported the proposed $2.8 billion Midway Crossing development in Ronkonkoma, and heads&nbsp;a legislative committee investigating the systemic failures surrounding the 2020 death of 8-year-old Thomas Valva.&nbsp; 
 Bergin has a strong history of community involvement and recognized ability to communicate. Unfortunately, her harsh words&nbsp;about asylum-seekers and migrants&nbsp;suggest&nbsp;an approach to the current crisis that is anything but moderate.&nbsp;&quot;I will do everything in my power to prevent migrants from coming to Suffolk County,&quot; Bergin said, arguing that the county's current services cannot handle a large influx of new people. 
 She is a strong supporter of Suffolk law enforcement. She said she relies on the department's top brass to make sure overtime is not abused at the expense of taxpayers. 
 Stein has a promising future in politics but Bergin has the background to do the job now. 
 Newsday endorses Bergin.

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Trish Bergin for Suffolk Legislative District 10

Newsday endorses Bergin for Suffolk Legislative District 10

The 11th District covers the South Shore from Islip to West Babylon including Fire Island and North Babylon. 
 When Steven J. Flotteron says he's willing to do the work his district needs, he doesn't mean that he'll task others with doing the work.&nbsp;He means he'll do it himself.&nbsp;That includes&nbsp;stream cleanups, he said, like&nbsp;the Pentaquit Creek restoration effort. 
 &quot;I actually go there and get dirty,&quot; Flotteron said. 
 The Brightwaters Republican understands the enormous and specific environmental needs of his district, including wastewater management and sewer connections. He can&nbsp;pinpoint both the highlights in his district, such as&nbsp;ongoing efforts&nbsp;to revitalize&nbsp;Central Islip and Bay Shore with new housing and other economic development, and trouble spots, such as&nbsp;ongoing&nbsp;public safety concerns regarding gathering points for homeless people around Bay Shore's bus depot and train station.&nbsp; 
 As chairman of the legislature's budget and finance committee, Flotteron also is attentive to Suffolk's fiscal picture and the county's need to live within its budgetary constraints. He knows how to pull the right levers and get dollars for his district, while also trying to save money by finding private funding sources wherever he can. 
 Last month, Flotteron, 61, announced plans to extend the state's Employer Assisted Housing Program to first responders, including&nbsp;fire department and ambulance service volunteers, who can now receive up to $50,000 toward buying or renovating a home.&nbsp;The existing program, which provides down payment and property improvement assistance, had required an employer match, but Flotteron got Long Island Homes for Heroes Corp. to provide the matching grant. 
 It's that ability to spotlight problems and find solutions that makes Flotteron a valuable legislator. In a new term, Flotteron should use those problem-solving skills to help move the Water Quality Restoration Act forward and to keep the county's finances in check. And, given his attention to housing, development and infrastructure, he should focus on the critical need for continued development of Central Islip and Bay Shore, while&nbsp;seeking answers and certainty regarding the&nbsp;future of the proposed Heartland Town Square in Brentwood. 
 Flotteron's opponent, Democrat Lucas E. Deitch, is not actively campaigning. 
 Newsday endorses Flotteron.

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Steven J. Flotteron for Suffolk Legislative District 11

Newsday endorses Flotteron for Suffolk Legislative District 11

The 12th&nbsp;District covers central and southern Smithtown Town eastward to parts of Centereach. 
 Leslie A. Kennedy, 67, of Nesconset, is a seasoned legislator who makes her way focusing on the granular details of constituent service. That’s where her best contributions can be found. 
 The county, she acknowledges, faces&nbsp;many issues with few grand solutions. “It’s little pieces that we can do at this point in time to sustain people,” she says. Ask her what’s going on in the community, where she’s out and around on familiar terrain, and Kennedy talks about practical problems&nbsp;such as making ends meet. She tells of the elderly woman she recently advised on accessing available services after hearing her ask at the pharmacy for only 12 pills from her 30-day prescription, with plans to save money by cutting each one in half. 
 Kennedy says the&nbsp;12th District, where she’s seeking a fifth term, includes more low-income residents since the latest redistricting. 
 She has distinctive views on those&nbsp;daunting big issues. One is that the delay in enacting a sales-tax referendum to support the installation of new “innovative/alternative” septic systems around the county should allow the funding deal to include small 1,4-dioxane filters&nbsp;she says are about to be patented. But she wants more funding to go to sewers as well, a topic on which she’s been involved for years. 
 Kennedy sees plenty of other challenges ahead. The county’s computer-hack crisis has far from ended, with many questions unanswered and many fixes still needed&nbsp;to bring functions in different agencies up to speed. The Brookhaven landfill needs to close, she notes, and alternatives now are still to be developed. And the district needs more affordable and senior housing. 
 During the pandemic, Kennedy, who was a nurse for 30 years, spoke sensibly&nbsp;and logically about the workings of the COVID-19 vaccine without talking down to anyone, at a time when many constituents were caught up in an anti-vax wave.&nbsp;Reluctance still lingers among some residents, she says. 
 Democratic challenger Denis M. Graziano, 52, of Centereach, is not actively campaigning. 
 Newsday endorses Kennedy.

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Leslie A. Kennedy for Suffolk Legislative District 12

Newsday endorses Kennedy for Suffolk Legislative District 12

The 13th District covers northern Smithtown Town south to parts of Smithtown hamlet. 
 Republican incumbent Robert Trotta has no opponent. Newsday does not endorse in such races.

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No endorsement in Suffolk Legislative District 13

Newsday makes no endorsement for Suffolk Legislative District 13

The 14th District covers the South Shore from Copiague east to Babylon Village plus Gilgo and Oak beaches. 
 It doesn't seem that long ago that Kevin J. McCaffrey surprised Suffolk by winning&nbsp;a 14th District seat that had been a Democratic stronghold for years. Now the Lindenhurst Republican is running for what will&nbsp;be his sixth and final term — his opponent, Edward M. Buturla, is not actively campaigning. 
 McCaffrey, 69,&nbsp;has evolved over his tenure. He's still the budget watchdog and&nbsp;constituent service devotee he was as a first-term lawmaker, but now he has risen to the top leadership position of presiding officer. And in a fractious caucus filled with strong personalities, it can be a tough job. 
 That was never clearer than when Republicans recently tabled a proposal for a voter referendum to create a funding stream for new sewers and high-tech septic systems that will&nbsp;remove nitrogen from the waste stream&nbsp;more effectively and improve water quality. McCaffrey thought he had the votes to move the plan forward, but did not. He promises to work with state&nbsp;lawmakers and the governor's office on a tweak in&nbsp;the funding formula — &quot;We're going to get it done,&quot; he vowed — and plans to present the plan to voters next&nbsp;year.&nbsp;We expect him to follow through. 
 Other goals include working with Nassau County on the region's impending garbage crisis; he says&nbsp;that should be the first priority of the new administration. He acknowledges there is not enough housing in Suffolk affordable to seniors and young would-be homeowners, and sees sewers as a key to new development. He is open to getting the massive&nbsp;Heartland proposal in Brentwood back on track. He also wants to reduce police overtime by hiring more officers and revamp the county's bus service by making it more flexible and responsive with smaller vehicles and changed routes. 
 But his prime concern&nbsp;must be to restore the legislature's oversight role. The chamber must do a better job of watching and probing the functions of county government and its departments like Child Protective Services, the police force, and, of course, the budget. McCaffrey should&nbsp;call hearings, issue reports, and hold people to account, not in a partisan way but in the interest of good government and on behalf of taxpayers who spend a lot for what they expect will be an efficient county government. That would be quite a legacy to leave. 
 As presiding officer, McCaffrey's relative moderation&nbsp;and willingness to work across the aisle&nbsp;is the path to progress. 
 Newsday endorses McCaffrey.

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Kevin J. McCaffrey for Suffolk Legislative District 14

Newsday endorses McCaffrey for Suffolk Legislative District 14

The 15th District covers the western&nbsp;part of Babylon Town from Melville to Amityville Village and eastward to Wyandanch and parts of West Babylon. 
 Jason A. Richberg, 40, of West Babylon, is steeped and seasoned in the legislative process. Before succeeding former Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, Richberg served as his chief of staff, chief deputy clerk, clerk of the Suffolk Legislature, and head of the Youth Leadership Caucus program. Now he's running for a second full term and is expected to remain as&nbsp;head of the Democratic caucus. 
 Richberg stakes a share of credit for what he regards as successes in the legislative body over the past two years, including the introduction of police-officer body cameras, establishment of the chamber’s maternal mortality task force, and “giving a voice to folks who don’t feel they have a voice.” 
 He’s rightly critical of the GOP majority for not letting voters decide on a proposal to increase the sales tax by 0.125% to fund clean-water initiatives like sewers and new alternative septic systems that curb groundwater pollution from nitrogen. 
 Richberg takes straightforward stances on relevant issues&nbsp;and speaks realistically about them. He favors creation of a single position from which a “cyber czar” can coordinate high-tech needs among agencies and thus help the county recover from the hack that exposed personal records and disrupted communications and operations. “We need to depoliticize this,” he says. 
 If reelected, he says he would continue to focus on the basic constituent service of connecting residents with government services that can help with specific problems. He said he’d follow up on gauging police reforms over the long term. 
 He emphasizes a need for deeper community involvement in housing development efforts, supports affordable workforce housing, and advocates for&nbsp;a regionwide solution to Long Island’s looming solid-waste disposal problems. 
 Richberg’s opponent,&nbsp;Richard Felix, 62, a longtime Melville resident, is a newcomer as a candidate&nbsp;but no stranger to his community or the Republican Party. An experienced business law attorney, he&nbsp;is past chairman of the Nassau Lawyers Association and past president of The Country Pointe Homeowners Association in his home hamlet, where he promoted better security and playground restoration. 
 Felix shows a good familiarity with recycling and other issues and, given his professional background, sees a need to attract business. He sounds like he’d work pragmatically and collaboratively in public office. 
 But the incumbent has proved he can handle the job, and lead. 
 Newsday endorses Richberg.

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Jason A. Richberg for Suffolk Legislative District 15

Newsday endorses Richberg for Suffolk Legislative District 15

The 16th District covers central Huntington Town from Huntington and South Huntington&nbsp;eastward and southward to Dix Hills and parts of Brentwood. 
 Every so often, a&nbsp;political newcomer lights up the scene with their potential. Such is the case with Rebecca L. Sanin. 
 Sanin, 45,&nbsp;brings vast experience to the race as&nbsp;president and chief executive of the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island. She also served five years as an assistant deputy county executive in Steve Bellone's administration. The Huntington Station Democrat understands policy, planning, and the importance of community engagement, and has expertise in a wide&nbsp;array of social services issues.&nbsp;Her skill set is as deep as her list of contacts and — more importantly for the county — she is a big thinker with lots of fresh ideas. 
 Sanin says the lack of affordable housing in Suffolk contributes to a range of health problems, so she see this as a public health issue&nbsp;and supports the conversion of vacant malls, strip malls and other empty commercial spaces. She also says that affordable housing projects that faced tremendous community opposition should be studied years after completion to see whether those concerns panned out. 
 Through her work with the Health&nbsp;and Welfare Council, Sanin&nbsp;saw&nbsp;the toll COVID-19 took in areas like education, public safety, opioid addiction, and on children in particular. She argues for public education campaigns and partnering with nonprofits to better connect&nbsp;those still struggling with needed services. Environmentally, she wants to reduce herbicide and pesticide use, expand the use of natural landscapes, devise&nbsp;a regional solution to Long Island garbage problem, and&nbsp;work with Republicans to get on the ballot a voter referendum to&nbsp;establish&nbsp;a funding stream for sewers and advanced septic systems. 
 Sanin also wants to analyze county government to see whether it can be restructured around its three basic functions&nbsp;— public safety, public heath and social services — and consolidate and/or share services with other municipalities where possible. 
 Her opponent&nbsp;is first-term incumbent Manuel Esteban Sr., a 46-year-old Republican from&nbsp;East Northport. Esteban is personable but lacks a record of accomplishment in his two years. He&nbsp;calls himself &quot;the most important member of the Suffolk County Legislature,&quot; saying he is a swing vote — a mathematical improbability when Republicans hold an 11-7 edge. He also says he is an &quot;emergency brake&quot; on extreme legislation, but can't cite a single example of a bad bill he derailed. Esteban&nbsp;gets credit for being out in the community and talking to constituents, but he is miscast in the legislature. 
 Sanin might not have held elected office before but she is brimming with vigor, vision and leadership potential that would serve the county well. 
 Newsday endorses Sanin.

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Rebecca L. Sanin for Suffolk Legislative District 16

Newsday endorses Sanin for Suffolk Legislative District 16

The 17th District covers most of southern Huntington Town including parts of Melville, Dix Hills, and South Huntington, south&nbsp;to Deer Park and parts of North Babylon and North Bay Shore. 
 Running for his fourth term, Deer Park Democrat&nbsp;Thomas P. Donnelly, 57, remains steadfast in his devotion to&nbsp;public service, which&nbsp;he showed in his many years as a paid and volunteer firefighter. He continues to&nbsp;strive&nbsp;to provide the constituent&nbsp;service for which he has been known.&nbsp; 
 Donnelly&nbsp;says his primary focus lies in enhancing the quality of life for his constituents. As chairman of the public safety committee, he wants to bolster&nbsp;public safety&nbsp;and improve&nbsp;public health, particularly in response to the ongoing mental health crisis and the opioid epidemic. Donnelly says there is a shortage of social service workers and Child Protective Service workers, and he&nbsp;is a strong advocate for boosting recruitment and retention efforts to address the mounting caseloads.&nbsp;In general, Donnelly underscores the challenging work carried out by those in public service and believes that these&nbsp;individuals must receive competitive salaries, as he recognizes that current pay does not align with the area's high cost of living. 
 Donnelly's commitment to improving compensation doesn't stop at social workers; he believes the county should place a stronger emphasis on fairly remunerating all municipal workers. He is determined to streamline municipal staffing across various departments, emphasizing the importance of addressing dozens of vacant detective positions in the police department, while also advocating for the recruitment of additional officers to enhance safety in the district. 
 Republican opponent&nbsp;Catherine J. Corella, 54, of Deer Park,&nbsp;is not actively campaigning. 
 Newsday endorses Donnelly.

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Thomas Donnelly for Suffolk Legislative District 17

Newsday endorses Donnelly for Suffolk Legislative District 17

The 18th District covers the northern part of Huntington Town southward to East Northport and parts of Huntington Station and&nbsp;Greenlawn.&nbsp; 
 Stephanie L. Bontempi, the Republican incumbent from Centerport, promised in her first term to be a moderating voice in the fractious legislature and to advocate for environmental protection. Bontempi has been part of an ongoing multi-governmental effort to purchase close to&nbsp;200&nbsp;acres&nbsp;of wetlands and forest from&nbsp;the Diocese of Rockville Centre&nbsp;in&nbsp;Lloyd Harbor for open space preservation.&nbsp; 
 She secured county funding&nbsp;to return the ShotSpotter law enforcement tool&nbsp;to Huntington Station, part of which is in her district. A former teacher, Bontempi, 57,&nbsp;of Centerport,&nbsp;has held forums to overcome the stigma of&nbsp;mental health and addiction problems and provide information on prevention and treatment options. 
 Her Democratic challenger, Dr. Eve A. Meltzer-Krief,&nbsp;54, is a practicing&nbsp;pediatrician in Huntington and member of the Harborfields school board. She said her dismay at the results of the 2016 presidential election made her more politically active and now she wants to enter public service to see what can be done to bring people together. 
 Meltzer-Krief, also a Centerport resident, said her&nbsp;medical background would make her an influential&nbsp;voice in&nbsp;getting the legislature to prioritize children's issues, including mental health and addiction. She says water quality is on top of that agenda&nbsp;and criticized Bontempi's decision to go along with the GOP caucus to postpone a referendum that would have allowed Suffolk residents to vote on a major sewer and septic system plan.&nbsp; 
 Meltzer-Krief, however, had few specifics about other pressing county concerns including confronting the solid waste crisis, cybersecurity and law enforcement oversight. 
 Bontempi says she didn't support the referendum measure because it didn't include provisions to mitigate groundwater runoff. While runoff&nbsp;is a major problem in contaminating Long Island Sound and estuaries, it was never part of the negotiations and unlikely will be going forward.&nbsp;She must find alternative funding mechanisms to address the issue while supporting the referendum.&nbsp;Bontempi's community outreach&nbsp;and&nbsp;common-sense approach are her strengths as a legislator;&nbsp;she should use those skills to build&nbsp;a centrist coalition in the body to better move the county forward. 
 Newsday endorses Bontempi.&nbsp;

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Stephanie L. Bontempi for Suffolk Legislative District 18

Newsday endorses Bontempi for Suffolk Legislative District 18

Newsday's 2023 picks for Suffolk County Legislature 

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