Candidate Profile: Tom Cilmi​ For Suffolk Legislature

LONG ISLAND, NY - Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls next month to elect several local representatives.

In addition to local town and village races, residents should look into who will be running to represent one of the 18 legislative districts in Suffolk County. This year, Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 5.

In anticipation of the big day, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Tom Cilmi, 55, of Bay Shore is running for re-election as Suffolk County Legislator for District 10, which consists of Great River, portions of Bay Shore, Bohemia, Brentwood, Central Islip, East Islip, Islip, Islip Terrace, Islandia, Hauppauge, Oakdale and Ronkonkoma.

His opponent is Joe Hagelmann (D).

Cilmi (R) and his wife Anna had two children; Thomas (25) and Stefanie (28), who works for the federal government in Washington D.C.

Cilmi received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the NY Institute of Technology. He was first elected to the Suffolk County Legislature in 2009.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Cilmi below:

Patch: The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

C: Budget deficits and debt incurred under the current administration is threatening our quality of life in the present and the future. Despite a thriving economy, and hundreds of millions of dollars in new fees and taxes, Suffolk County continues to suffer from deficits caused by the administration's wasteful spending, mismanagement and misguided priorities. I have and will continue to be an independent voice fighting against increased fees and taxes, fighting for budget transparency, and fighting against wasteful spending.

P: What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

C: My previous experience in business and the community, and my ten years of experience as a Legislator serving the 10th District make me uniquely qualified to continue the work I've been doing for another term. Furthermore, my personal accessibility to residents in and out of the district have enabled me to form hundreds, if not thousands of trusting relationships which, in turn, puts me in a unique position to be able to serve folks in the District and address the myriad of concerns and issues they contact me about day in and day out.

P: Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

C: Protecting and improving our environment and addressing drug and alcohol abuse continue to be priorities.

P: What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

C: Successfully fought to make the budget process public, rather than something that took place in private. Sponsored and passed legislation strengthening the social host law. Sponsored and passed legislation strengthening nuisance laws. Sponsored and passed legislation ensuring legislative oversight of certain Health Department regulations. Sponsored and passed legislation giving veterans public assistance applications priority status. Successfully fought against the bundling of capital project bonding resolutions. Sponsored and passed legislation prohibiting the sale of binge-drinking games to minors. Successfully fought for multi-year budget planning. Board Member of the Suffolk County Land Bank which addresses contaminated brownfield properties and zombie homes. Sponsored and passed legislation enabling on-line police reporting.

The above are just a few of my Legislative accomplishments. The most important accomplishments, however, are represented by the hundreds of constituents our office has responded to and helped over the years I've been in office.

P: The best advice ever shared with me was ...

C: Be kind, be humble, listen to people, work hard, enjoy life, treat people with respect, have faith in God. (advice from my mom).

P: What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

C: Due to term limits, this will be my last election to the County Legislature. I have thoroughly enjoyed working for and with the people and the communities I serve and pledge to work just as hard in my last two years in office as I did in my first two years.