The beauty of local politics is that we often get to see our own elected officials out in the field every day, truly making Suffolk County a better place to live. From our local State officials, to our County Legislators and Town Councilmembers, and everyone in between, we truly appreciate the transparency, openness, and accessibility.
But transparency, openness, and accessibility go deeper than just what meets the eye. It’s more than press conferences and speeches. It’s about delivering results, not just on big-ticket items, but year over year on the items that seem innocuous, but really preserve our culture and make Suffolk County a place to truly call home.
It’s said that it’s the little things that truly count, but we can’t call governing the largest municipality in the state by area and the second-largest municipality in the state by population something “little.” Supervising Brookhaven is comparable to governing an entire state, and a complicated one at that. No doubt that with nearly 500,000 residents, a complex ecosystem – the only town in Suffolk to border the Long Island Sound, the Great South Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean – varying, diverse communities with diverse interests, and the intrinsic complications of governing Brookhaven means governing Long Island’s most complicated town.
With such a massive responsibility that has been handled with professionalism and integrity by a true Suffolk native, The Messenger is proud to endorse Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) for Suffolk County Executive for 2023.
“The first and most important duty of any government is public safety.”
Ed Romaine
A massive concern that faces all Suffolk County residents is that of cost of living and fiscal responsibility. While Suffolk County has dealt with the state comptroller’s perennial dead-last ranking out of all New York’s sixty-two counties in terms of fiscal stability, Brookhaven has received a perfect score from the state comptroller regarding fiscal stress. Romaine was elected Supervisor in 2012, and after just two years of his fiscal policy, all Wall Street credit agencies have given the town triple-A bond ratings every rating period. This has not only saved the taxpayers massive amounts of money by being able to bond at low interest rates, but has allowed the Town to bond projects to improve infrastructure, safety, and services.
Suffolk County, especially in times of fiscal uncertainty on the state and federal levels, needs a leader proven at balancing a budget fostering a culture of fiscal responsibility. Ed Romaine is the man for the job.
“…Long Island’s most effective town executive.”
Newsday Editorial Board, October 23, 2017
Public safety, another issue that concerns almost all suburban voters, is especially at the forefront due to a nearby New York City that continues to seep crime and disorder into its bedroom communities and a state that refuses to prosecute criminals with cashless bail, creating a revolving-door justice system where repeat offenders have more safety than our parents, children, and communities. Romaine has been endorsed by all major law enforcement agencies. Romaine is the first Republican county executive candidate to receive this distinction since he himself received those endorsements in 2003 against Steve Levy.
“The importance of this race cannot be overstated. We stand here united, a coalition of law-enforcement and labor, in support of Ed Romaine because of his experience as an elected official. Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We need the strong proven leadership of Ed Romaine to invest in our law enforcement and keep Suffolk County safe for all residents.”
John Becker, President of the Suffolk County Deputy Sheriffs Police Benevolent Association 10/06/23
In terms of common-sense application of the law and a tough-on-crime approach to keep our quiet, suburban communities safe and as un-New-York-City-like as possible, Ed Romaine is the right man for the job.
Preserving our suburban, small-town-like culture is important to many Suffolk residents. Many believe Nassau is becoming the new Queens, while Suffolk is becoming the new Nassau. Romaine has understood improving existing infrastructure and working to receive as much grant money as possible from state and local funds to ease the burden on taxpayers, while also developing smartly and as needed. The Suffolk culture of needing one strip mall or complex and building thirteen is understood by Romaine to be poor stewardship of land usage.
When it comes to preserving our intrinsic Suffolk culture, while also addressing developmental and infrastructural needs, Ed Romaine is the right man for the job.
Perhaps no other Suffolk elected official has been as staunch on environmental protection as Ed Romaine. After serving two stints the County Legislature representing the North Fork, and after ten years of governing the most environmentally complicated town on Long Island, Romaine has earned coveted endorsements of the New York League of Conservation Voters (NYLCV) and the Sierra Club – somewhat anomalous endorsements for a Republican. Romaine has had no problem earning their blessing each time he’s run for County Legislature and Brookhaven Town Supervisor. Romaine’s commitment to the environment precedes him, as he understands the need to protect our coastal waterways to protect our tourism and commercial fishing industries, the need to protect our sole-source aquifer through instituting appropriate wastewater measures where applicable, and the need to preserve our open-space for recreation and less population density. Romaine was also an early advocate for sewers in Brookhaven, enforcing town code that residential and commercial space within 500 feet of an aquifer must be connected to sewers.
When it comes to realistic environmental protection, without pathologically chasing green solutions that are not yet scientifically developed and fiscally reliable, there is no question that Ed Romaine is the right man for the job.
Romaine’s service as supervisor of the second-largest municipality by population in New York State would not go unnoticed if he was not a proponent of job creation. His solidarity with labor unions, as well as his understanding that small businesses are the backbone of Suffolk – and the United States – have earned him the highly-sought-after endorsement of the Suffolk Association of Municipal Workers (AME) and dozens of trade unions.
In terms of job creation in Suffolk, Ed Romaine is the right man for the job.
“I am making a commitment to work on repealing those taxes [on natural gas, oil, and propane.] You should not be taxing energy.”
Ed Romaine, Stony Brook AARP Forum 10/10/2023
Lastly, Romaine does not need to convince the voters of Suffolk County that he is a home-grown public servant. The Messenger recognizes this over his opponent. While Dave Calone’s campaign coffers are filled with five-figure donations from out-of-state business magnates whose ventures in which he himself invested through his private equity firm, Romaine’s coffers are Suffolk-grown. Additionally, Romaine did not have to lend himself $750,000 to bolster his summer finance report, unlike his opponent. Romaine’s expenditures consist of hosting fundraisers and paying Suffolk-anchored staff, while Calone has spent six figures on consultation and a campaign manager from Connecticut, despite himself being from Setauket.
Furthermore, Ed Romaine does not have to go out of Suffolk to appear at ritzy fundraisers with nationalized politicians, unlike his opponent, who in July attended a Manhattan fundraiser with the Governor of Colorado Jared Polis (D), and just this week attended a Zoom fundraiser with Polis and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08). Romaine’s donations and endorsements are rooted in Suffolk and are easily accessible by Suffolk residents, regardless of party.
Lastly, 20% of Calone’s finance numbers – as per the July report – are linked to Colorado addresses, leading The Messenger to dub him “Colorado Calone.” We just refer to Ed Romaine as Ed Romaine, because he needs no further introduction or distinction.
Romaine does not have to convince us that he’s a Suffolk man; we know instinctively that he is. Moreover, he does not give the appearance that he’s not despite his life-long residence here.
“My opponent would like to dismiss me because of my long record in government and my age…I may have to get my knee replaced in the future, but if I do that, I’m getting an experienced surgeon, not someone with new ideas.”
Ed Romaine, Stony Brook AARP forum 10/10/2023
Overall, in terms of fiscal responsibility, public safety, preservation of Suffolk life and culture, environmental protection, job growth, and an honest, home-grown home-rule message, The Messenger has no doubts about endorsing Ed Romaine for Suffolk County Executive.
