Steve Bellone Promises Suffolk an Economic Powerhouse

     Say this much about incoming Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone: I like his promises. I'll like them even more if they come to fruition. Though we are both Democrats I admit that I didn't find the way he promised to do this earth shattering, he promised what every one running for office on Long Island promises: cut taxes, cut wasteful spending, make things more business friendly. Still FDR promised to balance the budget in 1932 in the middle of the Depression and that came out all right.

      http://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/bellone-beats-carpenter-for-suffolk-executive-1.3307293

      The first tangible issue for Bellone is a doozy which he'll have to tackle very early-what to do about the upcoming budget. How this turns out will go a long way in determining how successful he will be.  The departing Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy already put out his budget proposal which calls for 710 cuts to the 10,000 Suffolk County workers with no new taxes for new revenues. The Legislature answered with a bipartisan proposal led by William Lindsay the Democratic Presiding Officer of the Legislature and Minority Leader Republican John Kennedy that calls for 88 cuts while raising police property taxes the state statutory maximum of 2%. Bellone-and his defeated opponent Republican Angie Carpenter-gave little indication what he might do. He does seem to be indicating some level of divergence with Levy symbolically by, referring to the departing Levy, vowing to "bring people together."

     Certainly vague stuff but if it indicates he will be different than Levy in any way at all that can only be to the good:

     "That task figures to be easier as Democrats appear to have retained a 12-6 advantage in the County Legislature, though two races - in the 7th District and the 18th - were each decided by fewer than 200 votes, according to the Suffolk Board of Elections. Those results were with all 1,047 districts reporting, but do not take into account absentee ballots."

       While he promises to make Suffolk an economic powerhouse, simply not being like Levy is a big start.