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LIPP1123B_2025-11-23-12-41-13

Welcome back. Suffolk Republicans enjoyed another successful election season in 2025. Next year, the GOP will retain its majority in the county legislature, working alongside Republican county executive Ed Romain and District Attorney Ray Tierney. Thank you for supporting this team. Thank you for supporting the Republican slate, and thank you for supporting T in the county of Suffolk. Thank you so much. Voters also approved a GOP backed change to the length of term for county legislators from 2 years to 4 years, but the legislature will have a new presiding officer next year, not because Kevin McCaffrey lost an election, but because the Republican from Lindenhurst is term limited, meaning his time as a county legislator will end at the start of the new year. But there's still a lot of work to be done before this session ends. Suffolk leaders have called human trafficking an epidemic in the county to try and control it, county lawmakers are considering changes now. How hotels are being run, according to that resolution, hourly rates at hotels or motels in Suffolk would be prohibited. They would also extend the length businesses are required to keep a guest records of 5 years security footage for 90 days, making it readily available for law enforcement. That bill would also increase penalties for those who fail to comply. The legislature is also considering passing a law that would require all e-bike riders to wear helmets. That bill would require e-bikers to be at least 15 years old. That at state law 16, another provision would ban e-bike riders from sidewalks or any county roadway with a speed limit over 30 miles an hour. It's unclear when it will go to the legislature for a full vote. So joining us now is the Suffolk legislature's presiding officer Kevin McCaffrey. Uh, it sounds like you're gonna be busy to the finish line here. I am. I'm gonna go right through the line, Rich. I, I want to finish strong. Well, I'm sure that's the way you want it to be, uh, as well as your colleagues. Let's talk first about the makeup of the. Legislature here, it was a good night for Republicans. Democrats picked up a seat, but all in all, the Republicans retained a strong majority. Yeah, absolutely, you know, there was, there was a lot of Republicans didn't come out. We had nobody at the top of the ticket. There's nobody running against Ray Tierney, and, uh, he's done such a great job and, uh, so you know it was, it was one seat. It's, it's not, it's not the end of the world. We would like to maintain that and grow the majority as always, but I all in all I think we had a good night. Well, you think about. Republicans were when you started in the legislature. Democrats had essentially full control of the county government, certainly controlled the legislature, and that changed drastically over time. Yeah, I, I was the 6th Republican elected in 2014 and when, when I took office and uh we've grown that majority ever since I became the minority leader a year after, uh, I was I was elected and we've grown up that minority to become eventually be the majority uh in in in 2021. So the term limit law is uh something else that Republicans have been calling for. The public agreed and and the law passed. Tell us now how that's gonna change things moving forward. Yeah, so we had strengthened the term limit law a few years ago. We, uh, there was almost you could read it to say that if you stop, uh, serving for 2 years you'll come back and serve again. We clarified the 12 years is 12 years. The governor and and the uh state legislature changed the laws that said that. We're gonna go to even year elections by doing that, that would have caused our terms to be 13 years because we're gonna they'd have to run for 1 year and and then have to run again and it would actually cause uh legislators to run 3 times in 4 years which is a little bit onerous, you know, because you're busy running for office and not governing and the, the real issue was though that our term limit law was in effect and because of that people in in the legislature when they hit 12 years they'd have to resign. Uh, in midterm and we'd have to have special elections would have created chaos if we didn't pass this law, so it won't really impact you because, uh, you are done at the end of this year. Um, what's your reaction to, to hitting the term obviously it's not a surprise. You knew it was coming, but, uh, you've been able to reflect it all on, on what you've been able to accomplish and what you'd still like to do. Yeah, I, so, uh, I think one of the, the best accomplishments I had, well, probably two of them. The, the first is, uh, balancing the budget in Suffolk County. I had an opportunity to work with Steve Malone and, and the legislature to be able to when we had, uh, the windfall came in, uh, unfortunately because of COVID we had to get the American rescue plan. Money came in. We had a really sales tax bonanza came in. People weren't, weren't out shopping with their home shopping and, and it caused, uh, uh, uh, an influx of money. Gave us an opportunity once in a lifetime opportunity straight straighten out county finances. Uh, we didn't own a Denison building. We, we owed several $100 million to the state pension fund. We squared that all away. Uh, we never had a rainy day fund. We didn't have a cloudy day fund, but now we have $350 million for contingency funds. We, and we have other, uh, supplemental funds that really bolster the finance accounting, put us in a good financial shape, and led to several bond upgrades over the course of the year with the with the good. Work that uh Ed Romain continues to do and uh so straight out finance big the probably the best legislation that I was a part of was the Water Quality Restoration Act that we worked in conjunction with our state representatives to pass uh the first bill that came through really wasn't something that I, I thought addressed the problem which would put, uh, as an equal amount of money to sewers as it was to the innovative waste water systems which more prevalent on the east end of Long Island and uh I thought we. Really needed to hold out and get that bill right. We did caught a lot of heat for not passing the bills that proposed by the state came back, got the bill that I think it's gonna be better for all Suffolk County residents, and, uh, I, and we got that through. So I, I thought that was one of my, my crowning achievements. Well, you had a largely successful tenure, so then that leads to the question of what's next for you? Well, you know, I'd like to say in the game, you know, I think I, I've done a lot of good things, uh, not only for the Republican Party. but for the county as well and that's an important thing. I like to believe that I left the Suffolk County legislature and Suffolk County government in a better place than I found it and based on that I think I should have the opportunity to continue that work and uh I'm not sure what that that opportunity is gonna be uh but I look forward to the, uh, you know, next year figuring that out. Are you having those conversations now and trying to figure out where, where it might work for you? Sure, I, I, I am, you know, and, uh, but it's a crazy business, uh, you never know how things are gonna end. Yep, and, uh, but I, I think I put myself in a good position to be considered for for a future office. All right, well, Kevin McCaffrey, keep us posted. Let us know what's happening. We appreciate your time. Thanks, Rich. And still to come here on Power and Politics, we're paying a visit to author Steve Israel at his Oyster Bay bookshop. Long Island's former congressman just released an historical thriller, and he shares the details with us. Plus, what's life after Congress like? That's next.

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LIPP1123C_2025-11-23-12-41-52

Welcome back. Author, bookshop owner, and former congressman Steve Israel just released a new novel that will take you back in time to a very different Long Island. Everywhere you walk on Long Island. There's a mystery nearby. Steve Israel says he's tapping into those mysteries and our history. And the Einstein conspiracy. What's he holding on to? What's he thinking about? We met with the author and former congressman at his bookstore, Theodore's Books in Oyster Bay, to discuss his newly released historical thriller. You're gonna go on an adventure, and most of that adventure takes place right here on Long Island based on actual events and actual people. The story is set in 1939. On Long Island, the world renowned physicist Albert Einstein is living in Kuthog. He fled Hitler's Germany and yet remained in the crosshairs of the Nazi regime. This is Long Island. Albert Einstein, history in the making, all in a spy thriller involving a menacing sociopathic Nazi spy who's embedded on Long Island. To try and harm Albert Einstein, along with the FBI agents tasked with protecting him, Israel's fictional tale weaves in and out of real American history, even the parts that are uncomfortable like the pro-Nazi movement that existed in New York and on Long Island during that time. The Long Island Railroad ran a special train to Yapang called the Camp Siegfried Special. People get off the train, go on to the campgrounds, and have stormtrooper marches. That's in the book. Madison Square Garden, February 1939, 20,000 people for a pro-Nazi rally. The marquee, Rich at Madison Square Garden that night said pro-Nazi rally hockey game on Wednesday. That's how pervasive the movement was and that's how chilling. It was. The new novel is a departure for Israel, and it was written with purpose. His previous two books were political satires set in an environment the author knows all too well and is not eager to return to. I talked to my former colleagues literally every day, every day, Republicans and Democrats, and you know, they all say the same thing. Uh, which is, is, you seem so happy for Israel these days, happiness is finding a new way to bridge the political divide with a thrilling escape one page turn at a time. There is a wonderful life after Congress and I'm still involved very much in politics, but the way I'm involved is by selling books. Encouraging civil discourse, respectful engagement when people come into the store and they're pointing fingers, it's not at each other, it's that they're reading lines in a book and that's that just fulfills me immensely. I really enjoyed that conversation. The Einstein conspiracy is available now online and at bookstores, including, of course, at Theodore's Books. That's all the time we have this week. We'll see you again next week for another edition of Power and Politics. I'm Rich Verrabi. Thanks for watching.

https://vod.prod.alticeustech.com/transcode/c5f541e7-8ce3-489d-a8be-b8ba22ae94f0/c5f541e7-8ce3-489d-a8be-b8ba22ae94f0.transcribe

Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg and Kevin McCaffrey, the Suffolk Legislature's presiding officer, join the show.

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