Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) wielded the powerful gavel of Presiding Officer for the first time on Tuesday at the Legislature’s General Meeting in Hauppauge.
Piccirillo was named Presiding Officer in January with the support of all nine Republicans, both Conservatives, and two Democrats in a 13-0 vote. All other Democrats, besides Legislators Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) and Steve Englebright (D-Setauket), abstained from the vote.
But the Legislature’s business continues in earnest. The power of the Presiding Officer (P.O.) entails assigning committee roles to the full eighteen-member Legislature, setting legislative priorities, and presiding over the meetings.
The Messenger sat down with Presiding Officer Piccirillo to discuss his priorities.
For the Holtsville Republican, who was first elected in 2019, housing is perhaps the most salient issue leading the pack.
“There’s going to be a couple of budget proposals that we roll out to cut spending, as well as some housing proposals,” Piccirillo told The Messenger. “What’s the impediment to building single-family homes? What’s the impediment to making things more affordable?”
Piccirillo added that he’s currently speaking with legal counsel about banning “large, institutional firms” from purchasing single-family homes and converting them into rental properties. While the issue of private equity companies, such as BlackRock, engaging in this exact practice might have been grand conspiracy material a decade ago, the issue is only becoming more noticeable as the housing market hits an unsustainable fever pitch.
Moreover, the Legislature has already taken steps to safeguard homeowners. Landlords who purchase properties under an LLC must comply with local authorities’ and law enforcement’s inspections or see their tax credits rescinded. Last year, Legislators passed a bill to institute this measure, especially as these homes are stacked with dozens of residents and the interiors are altered to life-threatening degrees in emergency scenarios.
“The housing market is so robust [on Long Island], you don’t need them [private equity] here,” said Piccirillo. “You put a house up for sale, you’re lucky if it’s on the market for thirty days before it’s sold. The whole idea that that would negatively affect the housing market is, I think, not true.”
Piccirillo said his conversations with legal counsel pertain to the constitutionality of such measures to ban private equity from buying homes to use as cash cows.
“Nobody wants to see twenty people in one house; it’s unsafe. When the landlord is just collecting rent and using people, it’s a bad look for everybody and it’s not right for these people,” said Piccirillo. “They want to raise their kids in a good school district and community, and when landlords allow this to happen, it really degrades the entire community.”
Piccirillo is also keen on overhauling County departments to streamline processes and reduce costs. He’s careful to not compare the measure to those of the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Cutting bureaucracy here is different from the axe approach they [DOGE] took. This would be more of a surgical strike,” said Piccirillo. “What is the exact impediment that makes it impossible for builders to build single-family homes in Suffolk? We went from suburban sprawl to proliferation of multi-family apartments. Why? I think we need to attack the reasons it’s so expensive to the extent we can as a County government.”
Piccirillo adds that “shifting the narrative” on the issue is another prerogative.
“The narrative right now is that young professionals want to live in apartments. I don’t think that’s 100% true,” said Piccirillo. “There is always room for mixed housing stock, where there’s community buy-in. But on the whole, I think we have to start talking about home ownership, building equity, building long-term finances, so that the middle class we have here in Suffolk can grow and stay here.”
He added that “cutting red tape,” regulation, and “taking on the bureaucracy that’s built over the past forty, fifty years” is the “albatross around the neck” of any elected official.
“But in my position now as Presiding Officer, I’m in a position to take on the bureaucracy,” said Piccirillo. “If developers want to keep their subsidies going for these so-called affordable housing complexes – which are not affordable, everyone knows that – let’s talk about downpayment assistance programs. Let’s talk about lowering the cost of a house that’s built through these programs using that money instead of just shuffling it off into trying to lower rents by $1000 or $500. I think we need to shift the paradigm into single-family homes again where there’s land.”
However, he says that supply and demand must be accounted for, but rehabilitating old homes and working with not-for-profits are ways to increase the housing stock.
Piccirillo also teased that the eighth-cent fund passed in 2024 – a sales tax hike to fund wastewater infrastructure improvements across Suffolk – is bringing a $50 million windfall this year. The funds go in a “lockbox” that can be used for large-scale downtown revitalization improvements, as well as individual septic replacements.
The County is also holding on Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine’s (R-Center Moriches) offer to New York City businesses to come to Suffolk for tax breaks instead of abandoning the state altogether under current Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria). Piccirillo said that “time will tell” on what Big Apple business decide, but he and Romaine have discussed the issue now that the Democratic Socialist has taken up residence at Gracie Mansion.
Presiding Officer Anthony Piccirillo (R-Holtsville) has represented the Eighth District in the Suffolk County Legislature since 2020. The Eighth District includes Bayport, Bohemia, Holbrook, Oakdale, Sayville, West Sayville within Islip Town, and parts of Holtsville within Brookhaven Town.
Piccirillo has served as Presiding Officer since 2026.
The Eighth District office is located 1609 Grundy Avenue in Holbrook and can be reached at 631-854-9611.
