Suffolk's red tide surges as Ed Romaine secures a resounding victory
LONG ISLAND - The red tide continues to rise in Suffolk after newly-elected County Executive Ed Romaine celebrated a double-digit victory on Tuesday night.
The win against democrat Dave Calone marks the ninth time in County history a Republican will hold the seat. Romaine, the current supervisor of the Town of Brookhaven, is replacing outgoing democrat Steve Bellone, who is term-limited after 12 years as County Exec.
"One of the things I’d like to do is take a look at the organization of county government and reorganize it to make it more cost-effective and efficient," he said.
Political analyst Larry Levy with Hofstra University says the red wave was something we hadn’t seen on Long Island in generations adding democrats have their work cut out for them.
"Voters on Long Island, feel like they’re losing control," he said. "They’re concerned and for whatever reason they’re laying it at the doorstep of Democrats."
Levy says the success of Republicans stems from the party’s ability to build a bridge from their conservative base to moderate swing voters.
Ed Romaine wins Suffolk County executive race against Dave Calone
Republican Ed Romaine a longtime local politician beat Democrat Dave Calone who was hoping to bring a new set of skills to Long Island.
"Nassau and Suffolk Republican leaders have been able to take concerns that are really national and statewide and bring it home in a way that resonates even scares voters in races that have nothing to do with these issues," Levy said.
Elected officials in an overwhelming number of local positions are Republican, but experts say because of the increasing number of Democrats and the shifting of the political pendulum, it may not be sustainable.
Romaine wants to address affordable housing and environmental issues and upgrade the Medical Examiner’s office with the latest technology.
He hopes to work with Bellone to ensure a smooth transition and will take office on January 1.