Suffolk County Legislator, District 7
Rob Calarco, (D)
incumbent
Suffolk County Legis. Rob Calarco is seeking reelection to his sixth and final term, serving a total of 12 years.
He is most proud of the Carnegie Library’s orchestrated move from Lake Street to a county parcel of land and rebuilding the Waverly Avenue spur in Patchogue Village. In Medford, he helped gain funding for the creation of the bandshell at Medford Memorial Park, which is the new home to the summer concert series. In North Patchogue, he helped restore Canaan Lake with additional preserved parkland for public access.
Calarco was elected to office in November 2011. In his second term, he was voted in as majority leader, heading up 10 Democrats in the legislature. He has also been elected in a bipartisan vote to become deputy presiding officer and currently serves as the presiding officer.
While in office, he said, the county has operated without raising general-fund property taxes and lowered the county jail population with the lowest-ever recorded crime rates.
“When I came into office 10 years ago, the county was facing a $500 million budget deficit over three years,” he said. “Now we have a $500 million surplus over three years. We did a complete 180 on our finances, without raising general fund property taxes.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Dowling College, he went on to earn his master’s degree in public administration from SUNY Stony Brook at night while working full-time. He then spent over 14 years working in Suffolk County government. He and his wife, Laura, have three children and live in Patchogue Village.
During his next term, if reelected, he said, he anticipates completing the Patchogue Sewer Project, hooking up southern homes, and also the construction of a park at the old laundry property in Blue Point.
“I am proud of what I have accomplished,” he said. “I think I have a good record of accomplishments for my district and communities that I represent.”
Dominick Thorne (R)
Patchogue resident and Suffolk County Board of Elections assistant election clerk Dominick Thorne will be running for Suffolk County legislator in the 7th District. This will be his second time running for public office.
Thorne has spent nearly 30 years in the local fire and EMS services and said he has always put people first. His dedication to community service started in grade school, volunteering for the Salvation Army Thrift Store. At 12, he joined the Levittown Fire Department and at 16 he joined an organization of volunteers that patrol the parkways to help stranded motorists.
He moved to the area in the late ‘80s with his first wife, Jeanette. They were married for 24 years until her untimely death. He currently lives in Patchogue with his wife, Barbara, and two young daughters.
He joined the North Patchogue Fire Department as an EMT-critical care tech in 1990, where he served as captain of Emergency Medical Services for 10 years. He has helped train new team members and created a program to ensure every patient receives the highest level of pre-hospital care.
His goals as a legislator include fighting against mandated vaccines for health care workers and getting a handle on the county’s spending. He also said he is environmentally conscious with concerns for the cost of nitrogen systems and plans for increasing sewers.
“We need to make sure we start having conversations; this is a very divided county and I can’t have it,” he added about being bipartisan. “We are fighting too much and it’s not good for our country.”
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