After winning a hard-fought battle in his first reelection bid, Suffolk Legislator Dominick Thorne has set an ambitious second-term agenda for the 7th District, targeting new challenges and taking others over the finish line. The Patchogue Republican shook up the political world by beating the legislature’s presiding officer for a seat long held by Democrats in 2021 and has been impressing his constituents ever since by his work ethic and ability to get things done.
The South Shore Press caught up to the legislator while he was on his way to a Holocaust remembrance ceremony last week to discuss his plans for the year.
SS Press: You beat back an aggressive challenger in November, and it looks like you haven’t skipped a beat. What are some of your priorities in 2024?
Thorne: We are working with our partners in the town to bring sewer service to the Greater Bellport Area and create a business district for the Gordon Heights community. These areas have been long-neglected, and we’re going to make sure they have the services and infrastructure they need to be vibrant, successful communities. I’m also focusing on the homeless problem and making sure the people on the streets, many of them veterans and victims of substance abuse, are taken care of.
SS Press: As the Chairman of the legislature’s Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Medical Services and Preparedness Committee, what are your priorities in that area?
Thorne: Recruiting and retaining volunteers for our fire and ambulance companies is a growing problem. I’d like to see more incentives, such as the LOSAP program, which gives the volunteers a little bit of a pension based on how many years they serve. I’m also concerned about public safety and would like to get more police officers and detectives on the street.
SS Press: You had talked about the county “nickel and diming” its residents. What would you like to see to give the taxpayers a break?
Thorne: One area is the Red Light Camera program, where the legislature eliminated the administrative fee. I’d like to see a Geo-Fencing approach where you have a road such as Woodside Avenue that’s not technically a divided highway, so you shouldn’t give a ticket to the guy passing a stopped school bus in the far lane on the other side. We want our kids to be safe, but they are not going to cross to the other side of the highway. I’m also waiting for crash statistics for Woodside. There are a lot of accidents there, and we will be studying ways to slow people down. In addition, I want to coordinate with other officials to make sure our roads are well taken care of, to make sure they're on a routine schedule to clean them and remove the trash and the debris that builds up.
SS Press: What else can you do to make Suffolk more affordable?
Thorne: We will look at the home heating and fuel taxes that the county charges. We can also build up our business districts to create a more extensive tax base and take the pressure off residential taxpayers. That's where we can effectively lower taxes for people and make it a little more affordable.
SS Press: You mentioned putting more police on the streets; can you expand on that?
Thorne: We’re going to increase police staffing and make sure they have the resources necessary to do their job. We simply don’t have enough police. We’re putting 100 more recruits into the academy this year and will continually monitor that to make sure we have enough police on the road to keep our community safe and, of course, our law enforcement safe at the same time. I stand firmly with the county executive on increasing the number of detectives because if you have a crime and no one to investigate it, you often lose the opportunity to take somebody dangerous off the streets. We are also addressing how 911 calls are handled to see if there is a way of cutting down the response time. I want the system to have the resources necessary, including personnel, to handle the calls that come in. If that means hiring more people, then we will hire more people.
SS Press: What is your position on holding a public referendum on raising the sales tax an eighth of a cent for wastewater treatment and creating a countywide sewer district?
Thorne: I would be in favor of it as long as it has the right balance of sewers and private IA systems. Fifty-fifty would be a good mixture. I would definitely stand behind that and give the voters an opportunity to vote on it. That is a true sewer bill. I stood against it the last time because it was too much for the private homes. It’s in the beginning stages, but I’d like to see sewers brought into Blue Point on the south side as well.
SS Press: What else are you up to?
Thorne: We’re working on a bill to regulate lithium batteries, especially concerning electric bikes. They have caused terrible fires in New York City, so we are drafting legislation to regulate where exactly you can store and charge them, and we would want them with UL-tested batteries to make sure our residents are safe. We also want to make sure our firefighters are trained to put the fire out, including those at power storage facilities. That’s why this year, I dedicated an extra $125,000 to our fire academy for the explicit need to fight the new type of fires that our firefighters have to face in this county.
SS Press: What are your thoughts about the Fentanyl crisis and illicit drugs?
Thorne: As somebody who worked in the street for almost three decades in emergency services, l see how Fentanyl, much like heroin, is killing our youth. I stand with District Attorney Tierney on trying dealers on homicide or murder charges. My job is public safety first and foremost, and I will do everything I can to keep people safe.
SS Press: What were some of your major accomplishments in 2023?
Thorne: We passed a bipartisan bill to put Epinephrine pens in police cars to help save overdose victims. We banned vape devices disguised as pens and highlighters. The county preserved 50 acres of open space in the 7th District alone. We put $13 million into wastewater management to take 166 houses off cesspools in Patchogue and grants for specialized IA systems to 66 homes to protect West Lake. Additionally, we have two open space projects that have not closed but will close soon at the end of Mulberry Street and First Street in Patchogue.
SS Press: Do you have any closing thoughts for our readers?
Thorne: When l was in emergency services, I got to help one patient at a time. Now, as a legislator, l get to help whole communities. And that is an incredible blessing, and l work hard every day to make sure that l fulfill the expectations of the public. The other thing I’d like to put out there is that for the first time in a very long time, every level of government in this county is working together. We have County Executive Romaine, Senator Murray and Assemblyman DeStefano on the state level, our new town supervisor, Dan Panico, and Councilman Neil Foley; Legislators Jim Mazzarella and Nick Caracappa and Presiding Officer McCaffrey, Congressmen LaLota and Garbarino—we’re all on the same team and pulling in the same direction. I’m confident that we will get a lot done for the people of my area and the town and county as a whole.