“Sometimes, home-grown roots make all the difference…” read the opening line to our endorsement of Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) for the 2025 election.
Now, the four-term incumbent who has long been characterized by his niche, independent voice that we’ve long seen as a right fit for the Legislature, will now be leading the legislative charge for this year.
Republicans, who control the horseshoe 11-7, made their pick on Monday at their reorganization meeting in the wake of former Presiding Officer Kevin McCaffrey’s (R-Lindenhurst) term limitation.
Piccirillo has a tremendous prerogative at face value, and tall orders ahead, but we’re highly optimistic that he is the Legislature’s most equipped and seasoned voice on a litany of issues to fill the particularly big shoes McCaffrey left behind.
A Rising Star in Local Government
Piccirillo, a third-generation Sachem graduate, is as home grown as it gets and has a [positive] George Bailey-esque element to his past. He sacrificed time in college to care for relatives and send his brother to college instead – selfless acts in exchange only for tremendous responsibilities.
Piccirillo got his start in local politics several years ago. In 2017, he came about 200 votes away from knocking off then-Legislator Bill Lindsay III (D-Bohemia), a scion of a Suffolk political dynasty who was seen as practically unbeatable.
In 2019, Piccirillo ousted Lindsay in a rematch, by a nearly identical margin by which he had lost two years prior.
Piccirillo entered the Legislature in a Democratic majority, only for the entire horseshoe – and the world – to be sandbagged by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a steep learning curve that demands time and attention, Piccirillo adapted and carved out a niche spot for himself.
Naturally, the Holtsville Republican lives in Suffolk’s mind rent-free after his leadership of the committee that investigated the crippling cyber-attack in 2022, one that is considered perhaps the biggest series of missteps during the administration of former County Executive Steve Bellone (D-West Babylon). Far from just an urgent matter, the remediation cost tens of millions of dollars, uncovered a pattern of neglect, and gave Suffolk a significant safeguard as the Wild West of modern technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) continue to develop seemingly by the millisecond.
That, we find, is perhaps Piccirillo’s greatest claim to fame yet and uniquely molds him for a more serious brand of leadership.
Moreover, Piccirillo deserves credit for being one of the “bulldogs” on the thankfully ill-fated red light camera program. Since his arrival to the horseshoe, Piccirillo railed against the unconstitutional administrative fees tacked upon the already burdensome fines – all structured around a program fret with intersections made only dicier under the surveillance of trigger-happy cameras.
While the push moved at glacial speed, Piccirillo got the ball rolling, proving his boldness, leadership, and effectiveness.
A Welcome Philosophy
For Piccirillo, government exists for one purpose: to serve the people, and “not the other way around,” as he put it in his inaugural speech as Presiding Officer. The classically libertarian-minded Republican is also known for being the horseshoe’s “bulldog”, one who’s not afraid to ask the tough questions and won’t give anyone the benefit of the doubt “simply because.”
For the new Presiding Officer, cooperation is key. He added in his speech that he urges both parties of the Legislature to “recommit ourselves to finding common ground.” Environmental protection, preserving Suffolk’s “suburban way of life”, and working to ensure the “next generation can afford to pursue their American Dream right here at home” are just a few of the staples not only of his Monday speech in Hauppauge, but of his philosophy approaching government in general.
It’s a welcome philosophy, especially when many elected officials, primarily Republicans, regularly remind others of Ronald Reagan’s “nine most terrifying words in the English language”: “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”
In the 2025 campaign, in which he was resoundingly re-elected, we argued that his intimate knowledge of the district, personability and accessibility, and near-encyclopedic knowledge of the inner workings of County government made him an obvious choice for re-election. We believe those qualities can be parlayed into putting his ear to the rail for the entire County. Steering legislative priorities and being kept closely abreast of the work of all thirteen standing committees are not for the faint of brain cells, and Piccirillo, we believe, has plenty in spades to help guide Suffolk through issues of environment, infrastructure, housing, and affordability.
A Steady Deputy
In addition to the Presiding Officer’s post being filled by a worthy successor, the Deputy Presiding Officer’s post also saw a new occupant.
Three-term Legislator Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches) will serve as the horseshoe’s number-two for the next year. A Tri-Hamlet native born-and-raised, Mazzarella’s pragmatic and modest approach makes him an excellent foil to Piccirillo’s boldness and bravado. The soft-spoken and steady-as-he-goes Mazzarella has a blended background of local labor, a series of consumer protection legislation that was passed last year, and lived experience with the precarious environmental issues of the Great South Bay.
He’s also, perhaps, the Legislature’s best go-to for information on kelp farming, as he’s been part of bringing the aquaculture to the Great South Bay as part of its environmental overhaul.
Last year also brought Mazzarella a significant win not only for his own scorecard and district, but the entire County. The Forge River Sewage Treatment Plant resurrected the hopes of the Mastic-Shirley area, ecologically traumatized by Superstorm Sandy. Forge River also served as a model for the County going forward in County Executive Ed Romaine’s (R-Center Moriches) ambitious water treatment goals.
Mazzarella is also on top of reducing crime and increasing quality of life in his district, while also pushing for the construction of a new bridge to Smith Point – a crucial choke point that offers access to Suffolk’s busiest County Park.
Excellent Timing
The leadership the County is receiving in Hauppauge couldn’t have come at a better time. It will take balanced, pragmatic approaches, cordial bipartisanship, but with firm standards, and a synergy of strengths and weaknesses to continue the great work done by former leadership and get Suffolk over the next hurdle – particularly if New York State is keen on re-electing Governor Kathy Hochul (D-Hamburg) for another four years in November.
Suffolk’s home rule will need those with home-grown roots. The County Legislature has two capable skippers in Presiding Officer Piccirillo and Deputy Presiding Officer Mazzarella.
