By Hank Russell
A large crowd came out to hear Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine speak about what is in store for the county. Some of the topics included transportation, housing, funding and sewers.
Before addressing those topics, Romaine wanted to thank the firefighters, first responders and law enforcement for their quick response to the wildfires on eastern Long Island. “They did a good job,” he said, calling their actions “phenomenal.”
“We were worried that the fire would jump the Sunrise Highway,” Romaine said. “We were concerned that we would have to evacuate the [Francis S. Gabreski] airport.”
He said he received support from elected officials at the state and federal levels, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams. In addition, police sent drones and detectives in helicopters to survey the damage and determine the cause of the fire. It was previously reported in Long Island Life & Politics that the fires started by accident.
“What it showed me was that, if we call come together, there is nothing that we can’t do,” Romaine said.
The first topic was the economy. He referenced the stock market’s performance, saying, “We’re all watching out 401(k)s.” As county executive, he was able to keep the budget under the 2% tax cap, despite the fact that healthcare costs for employees were “through the roof.”
One of the reasons, besides taxes, is the high cost of homeownership. “You can’t get a house below half a million dollars,” Romaine said. People are moving out of state and “voting with their feet. … We need affordable housing for a place for people to stay here.”
Transportation was another topic Romaine addressed. He said he is working with Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter to move the proposed LIRR station in the northern section of Islip MacArthur Airport adjacent to the LIRR station in Ronkonkoma. It would be named the Long Island Hub.
The original name was Midway Crossing, which was given by the previous administration. The project was never completed, Romaine said, because the previous county executive hired a real estate firm that he said “was experienced in real estate, but not in [project] development.”
Additionally, Romaine is looking to have the LIRR lines fully electric. Right now, the electrification only goes up to Huntington on the Port Jefferson line, Ronkonkoma on the Ronkonkoma line and Holbrook in the Patchogue line.
To make these projects happen, “we need the MTA to step up,” Romaine said. “They haven’t made the investments.”
Recently, Romaine had a discussion with MTA CEO Janno Lieber about congestion pricing. “I asked him how much of the money [collected from congestion pricing] is reinvested in Suffolk County,” Romaine recalled. “That’s when the conversation ended.” Romaine added that the MTA “needs a swift kick in the fanny.”
Romaine also mentioned that state funding has been scarce for infrastructure projects. “Nassau and Suffolk give 23% [to the state],” he said. “What are we getting for roads? Seven percent. There’s no love there.”
One subject that Romaine has been passionate about is sewers. According to Romaine, only 30% of the county is sewered. There are currently 25 publicly owned sewage treatment plants, while 190 treatment facilities are privately owned and are used for condominiums and shopping malls. The problem with these , he said, is that they are inefficient, although they are less expensive.
Last year, he signed a bill into law that gave residents the chance to vote on a new one-eighth-percent sales tax for the funding of new sewers. The measure passed in November.
He also spoke about the importance of sewers and preserving water quality.
“Sewers help with the environment and the economy,” he said. “We’ve got to start thinking smarter about our future and the consequences of our actions.”