Legislator Anthony Piccirillo
Candidate: Legislator Anthony Piccirillo
Residence: Holtsville
Office: Suffolk County Legislature, District Eight (LD-08)
First Elected: 2019
Prior Campaigns: 2017, LD-08
Committees: Environment, Parks, and Agriculture (Chair); Government Operations, Personnel, and Information Technology (Chair); Veterans and Consumer Affairs; Public Works, Transportation, and Energy
Party Endorsements: Republican, Conservative
Notable Endorsements (including, but not limited to): Suffolk Police Benevolent Association (PBA), Suffolk Deputy Sheriffs PBA, Suffolk Correction Officers Assn., Suffolk Detectives Assn., Suffolk Probation Officers Assn. Suffolk County Community College Faculty Assn., Association of Municipal Employees (AME)
After ousting long-term incumbent Bill Lindsay (D-Bohemia) in a 2019 upset, Legislator Anthony Piccirillo largely expanded on his margin in 2021. In 2023, he received the most raw votes of any opposed County Legislature candidate between Nassau and Suffolk counties. He is now eyeing a fourth term on the horseshoe.
Legislator Piccirillo sat down with The Messenger for this candidate spotlight interview.
Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Legislature?
A: I spent twenty years in the private sector before working as a legislative aide for Legislator Steve Flotteron (R-Brightwaters) in 2018. That gave me the insight I needed to take office one day. I understood the legislative process from then.
I was also named Majority Whip earlier this year, which means that we ensure we have the votes we need to pass legislation. It’s been great to grow into that role and hashing out our differences. In addition to my other committee assignments, I served as Chair of the Cyber Intrusion Investigation regarding the 2022 cyber attack.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments for the Eighth District in the last two years?
A: We’ve done a lot of work in Holbrook. We have the Patchogue-Holbrook Road (CR-19) reconstruction project, which is reconstructing all the medians that have fallen into disrepair over the years. That stretches from the Expressway all the way to Waverly Avenue. We’re addressing the overgrown bushes replacing the cracked concrete with stamped concrete. Also in Holbrook, we were able to get the blighted Sachem administrative building on Union Avenue demolished. The County has partnered with the Town of Brookhaven to build an all-accessible park for kids with all abilities. Sachem is working with the County for the deed to finalize the closing, and then we can start the design phase for the park.
In Sayville, we’ve done a ton of traffic mitigation – crosswalks, public safety, and supporting Main Street small businesses have been big goals. I have bills in the works that will allow small businesses to apply for grant money for enhanced septic systems while they wait for the sewer line to come down Main Street. In the meantime, this bill will unlock millions of dollars in grant money for them. Right now, Five Points Cafe, for example, is using paper plates and plastic utensils.
Quality-of-life issues are big in Bayport and Bohemia, where we’re prioritizing open space. We’ve seen the effects of pollutants, stormwater runoff, and nitrogen runoff entering the Great South Bay and closing beaches when it rains. The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) does a wonderful job in making sure that it treats water to clean standards and that it’s protected for future generations.
In Oakdale, they’ve been promised sewers for thirty years; there was no money there. When I first got onto the Legislature, they initially said it would cost $25 million. Then the bids opened up and it shot up to $41 million. We’ve got $40 million in hazard mitigation grant funding from the federal government, as well as County and State monies. We had our first public meeting about Phase 1A on Monday. We’re having an additional meeting on Zoom before the public referendum on December 8.
Q: What are some of your accomplishments for the County at-large in the last two years?
A: As Chair of the Environment, Parks, and Agriculture (EPA) Committee, we’ve bought hundreds, if not thousands, of acres of open space in the six years that I’ve been there, four as chair. Two years ago, we held up the original Water Quality Restoration Act because we wanted more money for reuse and recharge. We can’t just have all of our sewage treatment plants (STPs) hooked up to the sewer districts and pumped into the ocean. We need tertiary plants where we can recharge the aquifer so that it doesn’t get damaged from constantly pumping out water. If you have a collapsing aquifer, you have saltwater intrusion and problems that affect daily uses of clean water.
We passed that reworked bill unanimously in the Legislature and it was passed by public referendum last year by 70%.
Another mistake that’s been made over the years is overdevelopment. I think that the more you develop, the more fresh water you pump out, and it’s detrimental to the aquifer. The public needs to have input on this. We need to make sure that we maintain our sole-source aquifer for generations beyond. We also want our younger generations to be able to afford home ownership, not turn Suffolk into the sixth Borough, and maintain our suburban way of life.
I also co-sponsored the Working Waterfront bill, sponsored by Legislator Catherine Stark (R-Riverhead). It’s just like the Farmland Preservation bill, with which we’ve preserved thousands of acres of farmland across Suffolk County. Now, we’re moving to these working waterfronts: marinas, ice houses, and docks – we don’t want to see them get developed into high-rise condominiums and apart complexes take over the waterfront. It’ll allow the shellfishers and oyster farmers, especially out east, to have important access to these ports.
I was also selected to be the Chair of the Investigative Committee on the 2022 cyber attack. We had an extensive review of what happened. It marked the first time in about forty years where the Legislature actually swore people in under oath for testimony. We hired Rich Donahue, a former federal prosecutor who’s worked closely with the FBI, to help lead the investigation in a thorough manner. The Government Operations Committee has been reviewing what steps have been taken in the last two years to safeguard our IT infrastructure.
I’m also Chair of the Capital Budget Committee – another large responsibility. I also sponsored the Transition of Power Bill, as when I first entered my office, it was cleaned out. I wasn’t even left a pen, desk, or chair. I also sponsored the bill that required junkyards to request identification when people try to sell catalytic converters.
Suffolk has full-time problems; I wouldn’t be able to do this job part-time. I’ll also say that when I came into the minority in 2020, the Republicans were not treated right. We’ve treated the Democrats like our equals, not minority members. I go out of my way to make sure that if anyone on the other side of the aisle has issues on legislation we let them speak. It’s important to have that debate, especially at the committee level.
Q: You voted along with twelve other Legislators to sue to the State over the even-year elections law. Explain your stance.
A: In 2020, when Legislator Sam Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) sponsored the bill to extend Legislators’ terms two years to four years, it was unprompted by the State. The Democrats referred to it unofficially as the “Incumbent Protection Act.” They were trying to protect a couple of their members in Republican districts. I didn’t think we should have passed it at that time.
Fast-forward to now, Governor Hochul (D) decides unilaterally to trample over home rule, to void the County Charter, and change odd-year elections to even-year elections, thus distributing the term limits law that we passed, throwing the government into chaos, and forcing special elections in the middle of our terms.
While I’m not 100% sold on moving terms from two years to four years, I think that we needed to respond to what New York State is trying to do to local elections. I think that the Legislature should always take any and all legal action against the State when our home rule is being violated. Local government has its constitutional authority stepped in the New York State Constitution and English Common Law.
I’m glad we sued. We won in the State Supreme Court, and unfortunately, the Governor stacked the Court of Appeals with Democrats who said that the Supreme Court’s ruling was wrong. Presidential and gubernatorial politics are on one side of the coin; state and local politics are on the other side. Local issues – like clean water projects, public safety, and infrastructure – should not be conflated with the Ukraine War, guns, abortion, or whatever the hot-button issues are. I think it’s a disservice to the public.
Special elections are also a disservice to the taxpayer; they would cost millions of dollars. And if it’s such a good idea, why doesn’t it apply to New York City? The Governor targeted the suburbs because that’s where Republicans are. Even so, we’ll still have odd-year elections for District Attorney, Sheriff, judicial, and school board elections. We’ll still have to have the ten days of early voting and the polling places open.
Q: What’s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic?
A: “A republic, if you can keep it.” – Benjamin Franklin. I also think that the most miraculous thing that ever happened was George Washington voluntarily giving up his power as commander-in-chief. That changed the course of human history.
Q: How do you like to connect with and enjoy your community?
A: I have very little spare time; I work about 85 hours a week. I have literally put this job above my own family and friends to make sure that I’m doing the work that the people pay me to do. Social media is a great way to connect with people, and I’m also at my office all the time. Constituents are sometimes surprised to call the office and have the Legislator pick up.
I love all the restaurants on the water on the coastal part of my district
I was born and raised in this community; Sachem class of 2001, and I later went to Suffolk Community College and Dowling College. I differ from my opponent who just moved her. We thank her husband for his service, but she just moved here and the first thing she’s thought of is running for elected office. My grandparents moved here in 1959. We’ve been steeped in this community for decades.
The Messenger thanks Legislator Piccirillo for his time for this interview.
About the Eighth District
The Eighth District contains Bayport, Bohemia, Holbrook, Oakdale, Sayville, West Sayville within Islip Town, and parts of Holtsville and Holbrook within Brookhaven Town.
