A lawmaker who sometimes goes against the grain of the majority is Legislator Robert Trotta, a Fort Salonga Republican who was propelled back into office in November without a challenger.
Trotta, a retired Suffolk Police detective, was one of only two votes against a referendum to raise the county sales tax for wastewater funding, a bipartisan plan supported by environmental and business groups alike. He is against building large-scale apartment complexes, illegal immigration, and government spending, positions that had him returned to office six times by a constituency that appreciates his outspoken views.
“The county has almost a billion dollars in reserve; we should be using that for sewers instead of adding more taxes,” the legislator argued. “What they don’t tell you is that $39 million per year from the existing quarter-percent sales tax that is supposed to go for environmental projects is diverted to the general fund.” He expressed concern that the new sales tax money, if approved by the voters in November, could also be spent elsewhere, especially with a lawsuit seeking the return of nearly $200 million that the Pine Barrens Society said was redirected from the Drinking Water Protection Fund and a suit by Southwest Sewer District residents alleging they were overcharged by millions.
“With a new sales tax, you could take money that was earmarked for clean water, which they did, and spend it on contracts for unions or things that give money to politicians. It's a classic bait and switch,” Trotta charged. “Why would Republicans in their first months in office vote to raise your taxes?” he wondered, adding, “If history is any indication of what happens, it's definitely going to repeat itself.”
The legislator, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, also rapped former county Executive Steve Bellone for delaying upwards of $1 billion in lawsuits filed against the county. “He did this on purpose, kicked the can down the road, because every time he lost a case, he just appealed it until he got out of office.”
Trotta said he is against Industrial Development Agency tax breaks and other incentives for developers to build apartment units and bring more kids into the school districts. “So now all those people who live in these neighborhoods, their taxes go up to subsidize billionaires. The focus should be on home ownership and the pride that comes from being a part of a community. A young guy in an apartment paying $3500 a month in rent is never saving to buy a house. It's a recipe for disaster. It makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, and I wish some of my colleagues would begin to understand this,” he said, noting that a priority for his district is preserving open space. “I want Smithtown to continue to be Smithtown and not Queens. I don't want 45-story buildings; I don't want apartments.”
On the illegal immigration issue, Trotta remarked: “It’s insane what they’re doing, allowing all of these people to come into our country unfettered. We shouldn't just open the floodgates and let who knows who in,” he said, adding, “The migrant crime is very concerning. No one knows this better than me, having been on the FBI violent crimes task force. It’s gotten out of hand.” Regarding the deportation of illegal aliens, Trotta said, “If you commit a crime in this country, you’re gone; goodbye.”
Trotta is also supportive of changes to the state’s bail system. Referencing the Babylon Body Parts case, he said, “You could cut up some bodies, throw them in the park and be home for dinner. It's ridiculous. You have to give judges discretion in every case.”
The legislator has had a beef with the Suffolk Police going back to the days of former chief Jim Burke and District Attorney Tom Spota, who he said were trying to set him up for working with the FBI. The pair, along with Spota’s right-hand man, Chris McPartland, was jailed on federal corruption charges. “I love the cops, especially the young cops, but they’re getting screwed because there's so many steps to top pay,” Trotta said. He is supportive of a new police cadet class, stating, “You have to replace the cops who retire. It's a fact of life.”
Aside from his outspokenness, another reason for his popularity, he says, is his constituent services. “I’ll help with anything,” Trotta said. “If someone calls with a problem, I’ll go to their house. I’ve shoveled snow, cut people’s lawns.”
Trotta’s 13th Legislative District is comprised of Smithtown, Fort Salonga, Kings Park, San Remo, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor, and St. James, as well as portions of Commack and East Northport. Under Suffolk’s term limit law, he is in his last two-year term.