Ex-Suffolk comptroller Joseph Caputo dies

Joseph R. Caputo, who served as Suffolk's comptroller for a record 24 years and turned the office into an independent fiscal watchdog, died late Saturday at Stony Brook University Medical Center after a continuing battle with heart problems. He was 79.

Beyond Caputo's lengthy tenure as county comptroller, he also served as a county legislator, the legislature's presiding officer and comptroller for Islip Town. Caputo, a Republican, first won office as county comptroller in 1978 and served six terms until 2002, making the office into a more activist watchdog agency.

"He was my mentor and taught me well," said Joseph Sawicki, a former Caputo deputy and Suffolk comptroller for the past nine years. "The man stood for absolute integrity and would not tolerate any kind of abuse or misspending of taxpayer dollars from any county agency or department."

Sawicki described Caputo as a "firebrand" willing to probe issues large and small. He said Caputo did a major audit of spending abuses in the controversial Southwest Sewer District that led to convictions of major contractors on the project.

In a 2002 Newsday interview upon his retirement, Caputo said, "I've tried to keep the county on an even keel, not borrow money when we didn't have to, and . . . keep people honest by screaming 'ouch' if they were doing something wrong."

His wife of 30 years, Claire, said, "The reason he first got involved with politics was out here there was a separate charge for garbage collection, and Joe didn't think it was fair. He was always looking out for the taxpayer."

During his tenure, Caputo battled frequently with county executives in and out of his own party, as well as other officials.

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In the mid-1990s, his office provided data to county lawmakers for a probe of a county car leasing initiative undertaken by the county executive at the time, Robert Gaffney. Gaffney, a Republican, abandoned the initiative in the face of scrutiny. Once Caputo even did an audit questioning the legality of former County Executive Peter F. Cohalan's spending public money on coffee in for the office. Cohalan is a Republican.

The combative comptroller also waged a losing primary for county executive in 1987 against then acting County Executive Michael LoGrande using the campaign slogan "Put on the gloves with Joe Caputo,"and even made a brief statewide bid for comptroller in 1998.

Caputo also advocated for the county to switch to a self-insurance plan, which the county adopted. He also clashed swords with then-Suffolk County District Attorney James M. Catterson Jr., with the two threatening to investigate the other over financial management and other issues.

Caputo claimed Catterson threatened him with a grand jury probe because he wanted to audit Catterson's use of federal forfeiture money. Catterson maintained Caputo was trying to deflect a probe of insurance practices.

But Caputo never shrank from taking controversial positions. Going against popular sentiment, Caputo argued for opening the Shoreham nuclear power plant. "It never bothered Joe to take a position diametrically opposed to public sentiment if he believed in the concept," said Sawicki.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Caputo attended public schools and graduated from City College of New York. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1949 to 1951 during the Korean War.

Early in his career he worked for Columbia Pictures in Manhattan, but got tired of commuting from his home in Islip Terrace and took a job with Islip Town. While in Islip, Caputo once also served as the venerable for the Marconi Lodge of the Sons of Italy in Islip. In the 1980s he and his wife moved to Shoreham, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Survivors include his wife; children, Joseph of Corning, Richard Labita of Sound Beach, Christine Buckbinder of Princeton, N.J., Terese Caputo of Oakdale, Robin Carpenter of Center Moriches and Michelle Feeley of Southold; and nine grandchildren.

Visitation will be Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at O.B. Davis Funeral Home, 1001 Rte. 25A in Miller Place. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Marks Roman Catholic Church in Shoreham, with burial to follow at Calverton National Cemetery.

With Jennifer Barrios