Issues

As a former prosecutor, I spent years holding criminals accountable for their actions. I know what it takes to fight crime, and I will do everything in my power to keep Suffolk County families safe. 

As County Executive, I will work hand in hand with law enforcement and give them the resources they need to hold accountable those who break the law. We will use every tool at our disposal to go after violent criminals, keep dangerous drugs like fentanyl off of our streets, and crack down on violent gangs like MS-13. To do that, we will make the proper investments to hire and train a diverse force of police, mental health, and addiction professionals, and we will give them the tools and technology they need to do their jobs. We will do all of this in a transparent, accountable, data-driven, and fair manner to build trust with all community members. We will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Finally, I will work with the county legislature to make durable investments in our communities that address the root causes of crime, emphasizing health care, addiction treatment, mental health, housing, economic opportunity, and education. In sum, we will create a stronger, safer Suffolk County.

In addition, to reduce crime, we need common-sense bail laws. I will urge state officials to fix the bail laws in New York so judges aren’t forced to let dangerous criminals free.

It’s crucial that taxpayers trust that their tax dollars are being spent wisely. As a businessman, I have spent my career working with stakeholders to balance budgets and make the most of each dollar spent. I am ready to use my skills from the private sector to ensure our government runs well and efficiently for the taxpayers we serve.

As County Executive, I will work with Republicans and Democrats to create a balanced budget that reflects the needs of our communities, efficiently delivers crucial resources, and lowers taxes whenever possible. I will work with our talented county workforce to review each department in order to both eliminate red tape and modernize the ways in which county government delivers services. Utilizing my background in the technology industry, we will examine county systems and implement best cyber-security practices that prevent bad actors from stealing taxpayer data. By bringing a business-style problem solving mentality to our government, we can both expand our capacity to serve and find ways to lower taxes on Suffolk’s working families.

I grew up in Suffolk County, and my wife and I are raising our own kids here. But with the cost of living often rising faster than paychecks, things have gotten too hard for too many working families. As a business leader, I have successfully innovated, built companies, and created opportunities. I want to put those skills to work to do the same for people in Suffolk County.

As County Executive, I will use every tool at our disposal to lower costs and create more good-paying jobs in Suffolk County. A top priority will be lowering costs by improving transportation and increasing housing options for working families. Moreover, just like I did when I recovered taxpayer money by prosecuting corporate fraud, we will use every tool possible to protect taxpayers against corporate price gouging and fraud. And finally, we will create opportunities by supporting our unions, investing in communities, and fostering public-private partnerships that usher in innovation and opportunity. In the end, we will work with the private sector to create a strong economy that allows our young people to stay on Long Island, working families to thrive, and seniors to comfortably retire.

The growth and education of our kids in Suffolk County is personal to me. The schooling I received in the Mt. Sinai and Port Jefferson public school districts helped me become the person I am today. So when it was time to decide where to raise our family, my wife and I chose Suffolk County to secure the same opportunities for our kids. 

As a Suffolk County parent, I will work to ensure that all of our children have the opportunity to grow into critical thinkers and healthy human beings ready to face life’s challenges. First, we must address the imminent challenge: supporting students, teachers, and parents as they help their kids overcome the learning loss and social-emotional stresses caused by the pandemic. Then, more durably, we will aggressively recruit the next generation of committed teachers, mental health professionals, and administrators in and from every community. They are the backbone of our public schools. We will tackle educational inequities across school districts. Finally, when our students finish high school, we must offer them a diverse range of opportunities here in Suffolk County. We will invest in not only our colleges and universities, starting with Suffolk County Community College, but also vocational schools and apprenticeship programs.

In Suffolk County, a healthy environment is central to our way of life and among the things that make this place so special. From families who depend on clean water and air, to farmers cultivating the land, to workers who rely on tourism, it is essential to us all that we safeguard our environment against threats – most existentially, climate change. That’s why I am so eager to continue my work as a business and community leader, where I have helped enhance sewer systems to protect water sources, support local farmers, promote solar and wind energy, and set aside critical land acres for future development.

As County Executive, I will continue the effort to ensure clean air and water for all, nurture our public lands, and combat the impacts of climate change – and we will do all of that in a way that delivers economic opportunity to working families. As an island vulnerable to storms, our efforts must begin with deploying world-class storm preparedness measures, so that Suffolk County families are prepared for incoming threats. Having served as Chair of Suffolk County’s Superstorm Sandy Review Task Force, I know the solutions we need to ensure a resilient Suffolk County. Moreover, we must continue to invest in protecting our coastlines, securing public lands, and delivering our communities clean air and water. I am proud to have worked with County Executive Bellone on key initiatives to protect our water quality, and I look forward to focusing on and continuing that work. In addition, we have a unique opportunity to be leaders in fighting climate change. As the home to world renowned research centers, we must drive investments - as I have done through the creation of the Long Island Emerging Technologies Fund - into incubating the innovative solutions of tomorrow which can create jobs right here on Long Island.

Our communities can only thrive when we have good, functioning infrastructure to facilitate our way of life. Having chaired the Suffolk County Planning Commission, I know what it takes to deliver reliable and resilient roads, trains, ports, public transit, and power sources. 

Maintaining our infrastructure is an essential function of government, and I am eager to use my background as a business leader to build it up. First, we’ll work with all partners to bring funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act home to Suffolk County. Together, we will make the investments that will fix roads, reduce traffic, and ensure that it is safe and easy to travel throughout our county.

Our country was founded on the principle that government is of and for the people, not special interests. As a lawyer and former prosecutor, I cherish our constitution and stand ready to defend it against any attacks.

As County Executive, I will work to ensure that government works for you, the people, and nothing else. That begins with robust participation in democracy, so I will make sure that voting is easy and secure for all of our citizens. In addition, we must hold our public servants to the highest ethical and moral standards, and when I am running our county government, we will root out corruption in all of its forms. And finally, we must make sure that the systems that govern our politics listen to people, not special interests. That is why I will seek solutions to limit the power of money in our local politics, reject gerrymandering, and ensure transparency.