Daniel J. Panico for Brookhaven supervisor
Daniel Panico, Republican candidate for Brookhaven Town Supervisor, poses for a portrait at Brookhaven Town Hall on Thursday, May 25, 2023. -- slVOTE -- (Note to editor: Mr. Panico had his portrait taken at GOP countywide convention in February but was feeling under the weather at the time. He asked to be rephotographed when I saw him with the other candidates at Town Hall on May 25) Credit: James Escher
Find out the candidates Newsday's editorial board selected on your ballot: newsday.com/endorsements2023
With its mammoth, moneymaking landfill slated for closure, its southern shore threatened by rising sea levels, and an affordability crisis wracking its residents, Brookhaven Town faces serious challenges. Now add the task of replacing steady-as-he-goes Supervisor Ed Romaine, who is stepping down after 11 years to run for Suffolk County executive.
Embracing the theory that stability and continuity matter, Republicans have nominated Daniel J. Panico, 45, of Center Moriches, as Romaine’s successor. A town board member since 2010, Panico currently is deputy supervisor, and has learned the ropes from Romaine.
Panico knows the town intimately. He understands the affordability crisis and pledges to continue to minimize town tax increases. He is a strong advocate of sewers to remove nitrogen from local waters and boost economic development to produce more tax revenue. He can rattle off every housing development in every corner of town completed or underway, and is proud of the affordable units built recently while acknowledging the need to do more.
Panico complements that preparation with enthusiasm for public service and interesting proposals on pressing problems. He wants to consolidate services with the county, like having Suffolk deliver veterans services in the town while Brookhaven maintains the county’s parks. Panico also offers to perform all inspections of county social-service housing to ensure facilities are safe and up to code.
Panico’s opponent is Democrat Lillian Clayman, 70, of Port Jefferson. She is commended for stepping up after former Port Jefferson Mayor Margot Garant dropped out for health reasons. Clayman, the party’s former town chair, has some good ideas like starting a townwide compost program for food waste to reduce garbage collections, and she has executive experience from six years as mayor of Hamden, Connecticut in the 1990s. But she can’t match Panico’s granular knowledge of the town and how to make the machinery of government work for residents.
Panico’s biggest challenge is shepherding the landfill’s closure. He says Brookhaven will compensate for the multimillion-dollar budget hit with a green energy park at the landfill, a large bond coming off the books, and benefits packages from offshore wind developers connecting to the grid in Brookhaven; welcoming these projects and siting cables is the right approach but he must make sure the dollars are realized amid industry struggles. A proponent of taking garbage off the Island by rail, he would be a strong partner for a county executive seeking a regional approach to the looming solid waste crisis. But he must ensure that the last few years of the landfill’s existence are marked by the most rigorous standards for safe transport and transfer of ash and construction and demolition debris so that nearby communities suffer no adverse effects.
Newsday endorses Panico.
ENDORSEMENTS ARE DETERMINED solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.
