Guy Calla (631) 854-1100 (office) Guy.Calla@suffolkcountyny.gov

Suffolk County Legislator Kevin McCaffrey today announced that he has been selected by the Republican caucus to be GOP Minority Leader for 2021.  The announcement comes after Legislator Tom Cilmi, who has held the title for the last three years, declined to seek the leadership position for a fourth year.

Cilmi, who is term-limited out of the office at the end of this year, said “It has been a privilege leading my Republican colleagues for the last three years.  Synthesizing a variety of perspectives and finding consensus is not always easy, but I look back proudly on what we’ve been able to accomplish.  We were able to put the brakes on borrowing, reducing the debt burden on our taxpayers by tens of millions of dollars.  We were able to successfully address a multitude of district-specific concerns for our members.  We influenced legislation put forth by our Democrat colleagues, perhaps none more remarkable than recent changes to Article 6, which ultimately passed unanimously.  We passed Republican-sponsored bills that were important to our caucus.  Finally, we raised tens of thousands of dollars to help Republicans, including freshman Legislator Anthony Piccirillo, get elected.

“Equally as important to me is the manner in which we conducted our work, opting for productive compromise and collaborative give and take as opposed to the combative, antagonistic approach which characterizes so much of today’s politics.   All that being said, I want to devote my last year in office to serving the residents in my district.  At the same time, it’s important that my staff has an opportunity to help transition all the leadership responsibilities to others.  I have every confidence in Legislator Kevin McCaffrey and I and my staff look forward to working with him and his staff this year.”

Legislator Kevin McCaffrey said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead our Republican caucus once again.  I hope to build on the successes we’ve had over the last few years.  The County continues to be in desperate financial times.  While we have been able to force the County to cut back substantially on borrowing, Steve Bellone and the Democrats have mismanaged the County’s finances for more than a decade.  Our finances are ranked dead last in New York State, number 62 out of 62 counties according to NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.  It’s going to take some time to dig out of this mess.  While we continue to pressure our colleagues on the other side to make smarter fiscal decisions, I will be equally focused on regaining the Republican majority in this year’s elections.  Meanwhile, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to serve our residents.  I also want to take a moment to welcome our newest caucus member, Legislator Nick Caracappa, who I know will be a tireless advocate for the residents in LD 4.”