Dave Calone, Ed Romaine spar over crime, affordable housing in Suffolk County executive debate

Republican Ed Romaine and Democrat Dave Calone, candidates for Suffolk County executive, sparred over public safety, affordable housing, the Brookhaven landfill and drinking water protection during a NewsdayTV debate that aired Wednesday.

Romaine, Brookhaven Town supervisor since 2012, stressed his record of public service in Suffolk County and town offices and said Calone lacked the experience to “bring people together to get things done.”

Calone, CEO of an investment firm and a former federal and state prosecutor, said he would bring a fresh perspective and labeled Romaine a “creature of government for 40 years.”

Calone and Romaine are running to replace Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat who is term-limited after 12 years. The four-year term comes with a $234,124 annual salary.

The 45-minute debate in Newsday's Studio 2 was moderated by Newsday Associate Editor and columnist Joye Brown, with questions from voters and Newsday political reporters.

A video of the debate can be viewed online at newsday.com/tv.

Public safety a top issue

Calone, 50, of Setauket, said he would “fully fund” law enforcement, require school districts to submit safety plans and address the root cause of crime by “investing in communities.”

Romaine, 76, of Center Moriches, noted he has been endorsed by all of Suffolk’s law enforcement unions. He said he would fill 51 vacant detective positions in the county police department and take an “aggressive stance against the criminals.”

On the issue of migrants seeking asylum in the United States, both said they would not let Suffolk County become a “sanctuary” county.

“We're a nation of immigrants, but you have to control immigration,” Romaine said.

“We're stretched thin, quite frankly, with regard to our social services systems and supporting those, including those who are experiencing homelessness, right here in Suffolk County,” Calone said.

Affordable housing

Calone said Suffolk should have a chief housing officer to help identify sites with roads and wastewater treatment that could support affordable housing developments.

“It could be redeveloping strip malls, it could be repurposing government properties,” Calone said.

Romaine noted a Brookhaven Town program with a 10% property tax reduction for volunteer firefighters and EMTs. He suggested re-creating the federal Homestead Act of 1862 that offered settlers land in exchange for occupying and cultivating parcels for five years.

“We need to create opportunities here for people who can afford to live here,” Romaine said.

Clash over Brookhaven Town landfill

Calone criticized Romaine’s handling of the Brookhaven Town landfill, accusing him of siding with the waste management industry.

“That is not leadership,” Calone said. “You passed the buck for a decade.”

Calone said the county's approach should include calling on product makers to reduce packaging and promoting composting.

Calone noted allegations that the landfill may have accepted toxic ash.

Citing internal emails filed in a “whistleblower” lawsuit, Newsday has reported that employees of Covanta Hempstead suspected practices at its Westbury trash incinerator were risky, imprecise and contrary to what they represented to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

The company dumped the incinerator waste at the town landfill.

Calone noted Newsday reported that Romaine signed a letter ghostwritten by Covanta asking to be dismissed as a plaintiff from the suit.

After the debate, Romaine said Brookhaven, the Village of Garden City and Hempstead Town were added to the suit against their will and that Covanta did not draft the letter. Romaine said the town had no role in testing the ash and said he has called for an investigation into the company’s practices.

“I'm just checking to see if Dave’s pants are on fire because he just lied about a whole host of things,” Romaine said during the debate.

Romaine said he opposed a plan to raise the landfill's height from 270 feet to 325 feet, and instead put it on a path to closure in 2024.

Romaine also touted his environmental record, stressing the importance of constructing sewers in densely populated areas and discharging treated wastewater into the aquifer instead of pumping it into the ocean.

Calone said he supported a ballot referendum on raising the county sales tax by .125% to fund sewer expansion and septic upgrades. The GOP-controlled county legislature blocked a move to put it on the Nov. 7 ballot. Calone said Romaine did not do enough to convince Republican colleagues to support it.

“I am committed to getting that plan, which is already put together, on the ballot,” Calone said.

Romaine called the plan "imperfect," but has said he was committed to putting the issue before voters. He also faulted Calone for criticizing county legislators whose support he would need if he is elected.

"If he ever gets elected, I don't know how he's gonna get anything done," Romaine said.                                                                   

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese covers Suffolk County government and politics. She joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.