By Former Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey
Dear Neighbor,
It has been my upmost honor and privilege to serve as your Suffolk County Legislator for the last twelve years. Through that time, I have proudly represented Suffolk County’s Fourteenth Legislative District, which encompasses the Villages of Lindenhurst and Babylon, West Babylon, portions of Copiague and North Lindenhurst, and Babylon’s barrier beach communities.
As your Legislator, I made it my mission to bolster our public safety resources, bring fiscal responsibility back to Suffolk County, protect and improve our County’s great parks, ensure the economic and environmental recovery of our South Shore, and so much more.
Today, thanks to your support, I proudly feel that I have left Suffolk County in a better place than I found it. As your legislator, I sponsored and cosponsored dozens of pieces of legislation to better our community. Some of my proudest local accomplishments include facilitating an agreement with the Knights of Columbus for the restoration and operation of the historic “World War Veterans Club” property in Lindenhurst; funding the expansion of and numerous improvements to Van Bourgondien County Park in West Babylon; financially and logistically supporting numerous local groups including the Babylon Town Historical Society, the Lindenhurst and Babylon Village St. Patrick’s Day Parades; allocating millions of dollars in funding for various cultural, historic, and downtown revitalization improvement projects throughout the Town of Babylon; and more.
In 2022, I was elected by my peers to serve as Presiding Officer of the Legislature. Since then, I had the opportunity to lead the Legislature in several efforts to improve the lives of Suffolk County residents for decades to come. With an emphasis on our environment, I proudly drafted and passed the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act, which created a long-term plan to expand and upgrade Suffolk County’s aging wastewater infrastructure. We also established a long-term funding source for wastewater improvement projects and approved numerous open space preservation expansions throughout the County.
To improve public safety and support our law enforcement, we approved increased hiring of law enforcement officers and securing additional resources for the District Attorney’s Office; reinstated the ShotSpotter program – cracking down on gun violence in our communities; crafted legislation to crack down on street racing and the use of All-Terrain Vehicles, e-bikes, and motorized scooters on our roads, parks and sidewalks; and more.
To increase transparency and accountability of our government, we oversaw the end of the controversial Red Light Camera enforcement program, eliminated public campaign financing – stopping the practice of using taxpayer dollars to fund political campaigns, and limited the term of most public Suffolk County elected officials to twelve years total.
I cannot express my gratitude enough for the opportunity to represent the residents of one of New York’s largest and most populous counties. These efforts would not have been possible if not for the tremendous strength and support of our community. From my time as a Trustee and Deputy Mayor of the Village of Lindenhurst, through the chance to serve as Legislator, Minority Leader, and lasty Presiding Officer of the Legislature, I am grateful to have served the public for the last 36 years.
Thank you for your support and opportunity to serve in this capacity.
Yours truly,
Kevin J. McCaffrey
Legislator Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst) represented the Fourteenth District in the Suffolk County Legislature from 2014 to 2026. The Fourteenth District includes Babylon Village, Lindenhurst, and parts of Copiague, Gilgo-Oak Beach-Captree, North Babylon, North Lindenhurst, and West Babylon.
Legislator McCaffrey served as Presiding Officer of the Legislature from 2022 to 2026.
