Romaine Looks to Clean House, Take County in a New Direction

Looking to clean house and build an administration around personnel of his own choosing, county Executive-Elect Edward Romaine has asked all appointed officials working under outgoing county Executive Steve Bellone to submit their resignations. With a little more than a week before he takes over Suffolk’s highest office, Romaine and his transition team are busy vetting candidates for commissioners, deputies, attorneys, assistants, and head of the county police.

“There will be some people that will be let go because it's a change of administration. There will be some people that will be carried on for a short-term basis and there will be some people that will be kept on for a longer basis,” Romaine said, recommending that appointed officials who want to stay should apply through the SuffolkServes website. “We certainly need qualified people,” said Romaine, who will leave his post as Brookhaven Town supervisor on the first. Names have been circulating for various positions, but the incoming team is holding off on announcing them at this time.

The county Executive-Elect indicated that Bellone may have made personnel moves on his way out the door to protect some of his associates. “These are actions, if true, that I will review when I'm in the office and determine what should or should not be done,” he stated. “Government has to be far more effective and far more transparent. And one of the things that I am going to focus on is reimagining what Suffolk County government could, and should, be doing,” Romaine continued. “I will reorganize the government to make it more cost-effective and efficient.”

Romaine said a priority will be on county finances. “We're going to look at the budget,” he stressed. “The budget should not have vacant positions that, in some cases, were never meant to be filled. Our budget is going to be a much simpler document that people can understand and be far more transparent. Right now, you see a thick budget that, if people look at it, their eyes glaze over. We're going to take a look at that budget, make it simpler, easier to understand, and people will know where their tax dollars are going.”

According to Romaine, the transition team, having broken into six committees, has produced a number of specific recommendations, including the appointment of economic development and affordable housing specialists and the consolidation of grants personnel. “These are very specific recommendations I believe will serve as a blueprint for Suffolk's future. They are common sense recommendations that should be implemented to make government more effective and cost-efficient,” explained the new county executive, the first Republican in the position in 20 years.

A transition committee of great importance to Romaine is the one tasked with vetting candidates for police commissioner, especially with the planned departure of Risco Mention-Lewis, the deputy acting in place of Rodney Harrison, who has already stepped down. According to Romaine, the team is looking at about 20 candidates. “It’s a widespread list with people from different law enforcement agencies, the New York Port Authority, all very qualified,” Romaine said, noting that he expects to have someone in place by mid-January.

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The county Executive-Elect also placed priority on staffing the department of law, which will have to grapple with a number of lawsuits faced by the county, including a multi-million suit by the Long Island Pine Barrens Society seeking to restore funds transferred by previous administrations from environmental to operating accounts. “We either litigate or we settle, but it's going to cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. And it's concerning me,” he said.

Romaine referenced a report that his Nassau County counterpart, Bruce Blakeman, is enlisting former law enforcement officials to help investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect. Suffolk’s Child Protective Services office has come under fire after the death of East Moriches youngster Thomas Valva after years of abuse by his father. During his campaign, Romaine often spoke of revamping the office. He also said that negotiating at least 11 public union contracts that come due in 2024 will be on his to-do list, as will be pursuing state and federal funds for sewer, road, and drainage projects. “I will negotiate the employee contracts with one standard that we have to adhere to: We have to be fair, and we have to provide enough incentive to recruit and retain a good workforce, a responsive workforce,” he said, adding that he will be looking at areas that need staffing such as 911 operators.

At the end of the day, Romaine said he wants a government responsive to the residents. “We want someone to answer the phone and be able to help you. And if they can't, it should be one transfer and not 20 transfers to get an answer,” he said.