Suffolk County executive race: David Calone has $2.37M, Ed Romaine has $1.55M 

Democrat David Calone has $2,370,977 to spend in the race for the Suffolk County executive seat while Republican Ed Romaine has $1,548,216 heading into the November general election, according to campaign reports filed Monday.

Calone, a former federal and state prosecutor-turned-entrepreneur, and Romaine, the Brookhaven Town supervisor, are running to replace County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat who is term-limited after 12 years in office. 

While Romaine has less cash on hand than Calone, he has outraised Calone since January, with $1.3 million in contributions compared with Calone's $868,925 since. Calone also made a $250,000 loan to his campaign, according to his spokesman, Shane Wolfe.

Calone's contributors work primarily in the private equity industry, but he's also received some money from Democratic political action committees and Long Island Democrats who are not running for office this year, according to the reports that cover January to July. 

His largest contributors to date are himself and the trust of Glen E. Tullman, an investor and health care entrepreneur. Each contributed $50,000 last year. 

Romaine appears to be gaining support from several local labor unions, such as the politically powerful Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association. Donations included $11,250 from the Suffolk PBA and its associated PAC.

Calone, 49, of Setauket, has spent $331,472 compared to Romaine's $111,193, the filings show.

“There’s a clear enthusiasm across our county to elect a leader with a background in law enforcement and business to tackle the challenges we face, most crucially, keeping our families safe, making Suffolk a more affordable place to live, and protecting our environment and water," Calone said in a statement.

Romaine, 76, of Center Moriches, compared himself to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney, a Republican who was outspent nearly 4 to 1 in the 2021 race yet defeated incumbent Democrat Timothy Sini.

“I have to rely on my friends and neighbors in Suffolk County,” Romaine said. “I'm just going to do the best I can with what I have.”

Calone's largest contributor since January was Christopher Beach of Stony Brook, who gave $30,000. Other large donors this cycle include Alvaro Begue-Aguado of Stony Brook, Jeffrey Weiner of Melville, Johann Moonesinghe of Austin, Texas and Larry A. Mizel of Denver, Colorado, each giving $25,000. He also received $15,000 from the campaign of former Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) and $10,000 from former Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat.

Romaine received support from the sanitation industry, including a $50,000 contribution from Sam Gershowitz of Gershow Recycling, which has several sites on Long Island and in Brooklyn. Brookhaven Town, where Romaine has served as supervisor since 2013, is home to Long Island’s largest landfill and its only municipal facility that accepts construction debris. It is scheduled to close in 2024.

Other large donors included Brookhaven Town Councilman Dan Panico, a Republican who is seeking Romaine’s Brookhaven supervisor seat, GOP Islip Supervisor Angie Carpenter and Republican Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro. Each contributed $50,000 to Romaine's campaign.

The largest chunk of Calone’s spending went to consulting firms. His campaign paid more than $62,500 to the Threshold Group Inc., which specializes in public affairs, advertising and fundraising. Another $48,500 went to the public affairs agency Global Strategy Group.

Romaine’s largest expenditures were for fundraising event costs, including $31,000 to The Rock Golf Club in Wading River and $17,000 to Lombardi’s on the Bay in Patchogue.

By Vera Chinese

vera.chinese@newsday.com@VeraChinese

Vera Chinese 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.