'Ready To Govern On Day 1': Ed Romaine Talks About Suffolk's Future

FARMINGVILLE, NY — After Ed Romaine lost his bid for Suffolk County Executive to Steve Levy in 2003, he never would have believed that he would achieve it 20 years later.

"I would have laughed," he chuckled in a phone interview on Wednesday. "It's not something I would have figured on."

The veteran lawmaker from Center Moriches was the Suffolk County Clerk at the time he ran for the post. Some in politics might have stepped down after the county executive race, taking an all-or-nothing approach to the game, but not Romaine.

He stayed at the clerk's office, but in 2005 he had the opportunity to make a run for the 1st Legislative District, covering a portion of Brookhaven, as well as several of the East End towns, and he handily won.

Romaine recalls that he let go of the notion it was "a step back" with "a certain value," and the 1st Legislative District ended up being the most rewarding job that he ever had in government.

"Sometimes it's not the size of the job; sometimes it's the job itself and the people you meet along the way," he said, adding that representing the North Fork and Brookhaven showed him wonderful places and great people. "It was, in all of my government experience, among the best jobs I've ever had. So, I'm so happy I did that."

He helped preserve "a heck" of a lot of farmland, at the time, more than the other 17 legislative districts combined, including the 350-acre North Fork Preserve.

Romaine stepped into his current post as Brookhaven Town supervisor in 2012, and did not set his sights on the county executive post and even suggested former congressman Lee Zeldin. Despite his suggestion, he ended up being approached by "multiple people" to run.

At the time, he did not like the direction that the county was taking in the handling of the cyberattack and Child Protective Services' review of the Thomas Valva case, so he decided to take "a serious look" at the proposal.

"I said, 'I'll give it a shot.'"

He is delighted he won, beating Democratic opponent Dave Calone with 57 to 43 percent of the vote.

"It was by a wide margin, despite the fact that my opponent outspent me and ran a very negative race, there was a resounding victory and I think it gave me a clear mandate to go ahead and govern Suffolk County," he said.

Patch has reached out to Calone's camp for comment.

Romaine, of Center Moriches, will be the ninth county executive elected in Suffolk, and the first based in the east of the county.

On Wednesday afternoon, he was already up and running with plans of working with all the county's town supervisors and village mayors.

"I am going to work with all of them because we all need to come together," he said. "We need to look at things that we're doing to see if we can consolidate; create efficiencies amongst us so that we're not duplicating things. The county, the towns, and the villages all have to be on the same page."

Romaine said the county's pols need to take a look at regional solutions, such as a regional solid waste plan, "that we desperately need for this county."

Sewers in Brookhaven Town are also on the forefront.

Transportation is another issue, and he is a "huge fan of improving County Road 39, which "is nothing but a traffic jam."

"I am looking to do things for the east and make the investments," he said. "I know that the east provides more weight and sales tax and real estate revenue than other areas of the county. So yes, we want to reinvest some of that in our East End, but I'm looking to work with all 10 towns."

So, does he feel he has come full circle?

The answer's "no."

"You can never go home again," he said, adding that the circumstances and the county are different. "So many things have been intervening in the succeeding years. So, I'm looking at what I have now."

"What I have to do to move this county forward," he said. "Looking back, I would look back on my career to understand a little bit about government, some of the things. I have 38 years in elective office so I know a little bit about local government, and what has to be done. I can tell you that I will be ready to govern on day one."

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