County Executive-elect Ed Romaine's team asks Suffolk political appointees to resign
Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine speaks during an interview with Newsday in his office at Brookhaven Town Hall in Farmingville on Nov. 8. Credit: Barry Sloan
Suffolk County political appointees have been asked to resign effective Jan. 1 at the request of Melissa Schlosberg, director of Suffolk County Executive-elect Ed Romaine's transition team.
The resignation request stems from the change in administrations from outgoing County Executive Steve Bellone, a Democrat, to Romaine, the Republican Brookhaven Town supervisor.
Asking appointees to resign has been standard practice in the various political regime changes over the years in Nassau and Suffolk counties. Those who wish to continue in the new administration can apply for jobs.
“While the new administration will surely bring significant changes, no final decisions have been made regarding numerous personnel changes,” Schlosberg wrote in a memo dated Monday. “Some resignations may be accepted before the end of the year, while others may not be accepted till next year, and some resignations may not be accepted.”
Politically appointed, or at-will positions, include numerous nonunion jobs, many of them with six-figure salaries, such as deputy county executives, department commissioners, county attorneys and members of Bellone's public relations team.
The memo asks all chief deputy county executives, deputy county executives, county executive assistants and department heads that do not have an appointed term to submit their resignations by Friday. Those who want to apply to serve in the Romaine administration can submit their resumes to the transition team website, Servesuffolk.com, by Friday, the memo states.
For those who do not submit resignation letters by Friday, "we will assume you are not interested in serving with the new administration and your employment with the County of Suffolk will terminate close of business, January 1, 2024," the memo states.
Schlosberg is a former Brookhaven Town employee who began working for the county shortly after the Nov. 7 election to facilitate the transition, according to Mike Martino, a spokesman for Romaine’s transition team. The Romaine administration has not publicly announced any appointments but is expected to do so next week, Martino said.
“This is standard operating procedure when there is any administration change,” Martino said. “Anybody who is interested in remaining has the same opportunity to apply for a position.”
It was not immediately clear how many employees received the memo.
Bellone representatives did not comment on it.
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.
