Hochul and Romaine huddle before her State of the State

Daily Point

Is Hochul in love with Heartland as much as Romaine?

As she has done before, Gov. Kathy Hochul attended the Long Island Leaders pre-State of the State reception at the Hilton Albany, an annual event sponsored by the Long Island Association and other organizations, the night before her speech.

But before she walked into the ballroom, Hochul sat down for about 20 minutes with Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine for a private meeting — just the two of them and some members of her staff.

Among the items the two elected officials talked about: Hochul’s hopes for housing development, the need for sewers to accommodate such housing, and potential housing locations.

On Friday at the Long Island Association’s annual breakfast, Romaine spoke about an already-approved zoning that could bring thousands of housing units to the former Pilgrim State property, a project known as Heartland Town Square, but noted the need for sewers there. For her part, Hochul on Friday emphasized that plans for water infrastructure funding would be part of her State of the State.

At Monday’s meeting, Romaine said, Hochul “filled in a little more about what she talked about Friday.”

“She discussed housing with me, and sewers for housing,” Romaine said. “And Heartland was part of that discussion.”

After their conversation, the two headed into the Long Island reception together, where Hochul was introduced by LIA chief executive Matt Cohen. There, Hochul told attendees she loved the Island so much she chose to be with them even though she should have been rehearsing her State of the State speech. In her brief remarks, Hochul specifically mentioned Romaine, joking that her pockets were a lot lighter than when she had walked into the hotel before meeting him.

Romaine told The Point Tuesday that he’s hopeful funding will come through.

“I’m hoping and praying it’s coming but I understand sometimes it takes a lot of time to get something done,” Romaine said. “I am never going to give up. If the governor comes forward, and we can deal with some of the other problems ... and make sure there’s a path forward [for Heartland] ... I’m 100% for that.”

Hochul didn’t directly mention the sewer infrastructure funding during her speech. But the large book of priorities that accompanies the State of the State has a section discussing a “new Smart Growth Water Grant Program” that “will focus on sewer and water projects that directly enable the construction of new housing units and the creation of permanent jobs.”

“This will also allow New York to build the necessary water and sewer infrastructure needed for fostering economic and housing growth in places like Long Island, while simultaneously protecting groundwater,” the report said.

While Romaine noted he was a “little disappointed” that sewers didn’t get a specific mention during Hochul’s speech, he said he remained optimistic that the discussion he had with her would help propel Heartland and other similar efforts forward.

“I’m very hopeful, I’m optimistic and I’m always going to be fighting for Suffolk’s future,” Romaine said.

While the Long Island reception used to be mostly a Nassau and Suffolk affair, it has morphed over the years to include political players from around the state. More than 300 people attended this year's gathering. And while some might expect it to be a haven for Hochul's Democratic supporters, it was, sources said, a bipartisan event, if you count the Suffolk folks in the room. Besides Romaine, Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter attended. And both newly elected Suffolk Legislature Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo and his predecessor, Kevin McCaffrey, were there, too. Among the other big players: key state agency commissioners, including Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton. Both, of course, are key connections for Long Island, especially during budget season, when it’s all about seeking money for roads, water infrastructure and more. Also making a power move: the Island’s energy industry, with PSEG president Scott Jennings, LIPA chief executive Carrie Meek Gallagher and NYSERDA chief executive Doreen Harris all in attendance.

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

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Final Point

The East End’s invincible Democratic Party machine

The last time a Republican won the supervisor’s seat in East Hampton Town, Minecraft, the bestselling video game of all time, was about to be released. So, winning the Democratic Party primary makes the November general election basically a slam dunk.

With a small population of just over 29,000, East Hampton has three people jostling for the Democratic nomination to run for supervisor — East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, former East Hampton Town Councilman Jeff Bragman and current Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez.

The Dems screened candidates over the weekend and will hold their nominating convention Wednesday. But Suffolk County Democratic Committee chairman Rich Schaffer already poured cold water on any hopes that Larsen or Bragman would be nominated. In a statement to The Point, Schaffer said Burke-Gonzalez would get the official endorsement.

“Kathee has represented her community with integrity, competence, and a commitment to Democratic values, and her constituents will continue to be well served by re-electing her this November,” Schaffer said.

That will force a primary, Larsen told The Point, as he intends to run with or without the party nomination. Larsen said he’s already raised $130,000 and started campaigning.

“I don’t anticipate receiving the endorsement,” Larsen said. “There’s a perception that there’s a Democratic political machine. My point to the committee is, if you want to change that perception” nominate someone other than Burke-Gonzalez.

East Hampton Democratic Committee chair Anna Skrenta, however, told The Point that there is no party machine in East Hampton, just a bunch of hard-working volunteers.

“We get called a machine and it’s unfortunate because the connotations are negative,” Skrenta said. “We have a good team, a really good team of dedicated volunteers. Most are super involved with their community, food pantries to volunteer EMTs. We’re a good team and it’s a bummer when we’re called a machine.”

Larsen, who served 14 years as the East Hampton Village chief of police, said his issues with Burke-Gonzalez include contracts for emergency management services, a building department “in shambles,” and a debacle with the $1.3 million contract for renovating the senior citizen center after the architect company “folded.”

For Burke-Gonzalez, the shift in even-year voting means that despite winning the supervisor’s seat last year, she must run again in ’26 for the two-year term seat.

Larsen, a registered Democrat, said if he wins the supervisor’s seat in the general election, he will resign as East Hampton Village mayor at the end of ’26.

Primary? Intraparty discord? Contract dispute? Sounds like the machinations of a typical political machine.

— Mark Nolan mark.nolan@newsday.com

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