Robert T. Calarco, Chairman
Robert Calarco has served as assistant regional director for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Region 1 office since January of 2022.
Prior to joining the NYSDEC, Calarco served as presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, where he led the legislative body through the uncharted waters of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergency response, supporting fellow legislators and advocating for the public during the pandemic’s most difficult times. As presiding officer, Calarco championed environmental issues including water quality, wastewater infrastructure, invasive species and regional watershed improvement initiatives. He also promoted transparency in government, sponsoring in 2020 a law that provided clarity in regard to the use of tax dollars supporting Suffolk County Community College.
Calarco served for a decade in the Legislature prior to becoming presiding officer, representing the 7th Legislative District. During his tenure, he chaired the Government Operations, Personnel, Information Technology and Housing Committee as well as the Budget and Finance Committee. He also served as vice chair of the Public Safety Committee and as a member of the Public Works, Transportation and Energy Committee, the Education and Human Services Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.
Calarco is a member of numerous community and fraternal organizations, including St. Sylvester’s Knights of Columbus, Sons of Italy Sgt. John Basilone Lodge, the Greater Patchogue Historical Society, the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, the Medford Chamber of Commerce, the Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce, the Gordon Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Patchogue Garden Club.
Calarco earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Dowling College and a master’s degree in public administration from Stony Brook University.
Edward P. Romaine, Member
Ed Romaine was elected Suffolk County executive in November of 2023.
Prior to being elected county executive, Romaine served for 12 years as Brookhaven Town supervisor, having been elected to that office during a special election in 2012 and re-elected for full two-year terms in 2013 and 2015.
As supervisor, Romaine championed environmental and quality of life issues in Brookhaven Town while strengthening town finances. During his first year in office as supervisor, Romaine spearheaded legislation unanimously approved by the Town Board and embraced by residents, environmentalists and the building community to forever protect the Carmans River. He also introduced legislation that has strengthened the town’s housing codes and has aggressively prosecuted problem landlords that have impacted neighborhoods throughout the town.
Romaine also championed environmental issues. Under his leadership, Brookhaven was named a Tree City USA in 2016 and 2017 and received nearly a million dollars in state grants in 2016 to work on major environmental projects that directly impact Long Island. He pioneered environmental programs that served to better Brookhaven Town, including Citizen Ranger, townwide cleanup days, and Explore the Estuary. He brought single-stream recycling to Brookhaven in 2014, making the town the leader in this technology on Long Island. He has reduced millions of dollars in pipeline debt and maintained the Town’s strong AAA credit rating, while also holding the line on total town property taxes in his 2017 budget.
Romaine began his career in public service as a history teacher in the Hauppauge School District, where he taught for ten years. In 1980, he entered public service as the Town of Brookhaven’s first Commissioner of Housing and Community Development and was later appointed Director of Economic Development.
Romaine was a member of the Suffolk County Legislature from 1986 through 1989, where he was known as a fiscal conservative, sponsoring such cost-saving measures as the Suffolk County Tax Cap. He also established a record as a fighter for the environment by authoring Suffolk’s first Clean Water Act. In 1989, he was elected Suffolk County Clerk and served for 16 years, taking an active role in increasing productivity and improving access to official records. He was recognized as a pioneer in government use of technology and was chosen “2001 New York State County Clerk of the Year.”
In 2005, Romaine was again elected to the County Legislature, representing the First Legislative District and re-elected in 2007, 2009, and 2011. As a county legislator, Romaine preserved countless acres of open space in eastern Brookhaven, the North Fork and Shelter Island. He sponsored landmark legislation including “Michael’s Law” banning explosive fuel gels, the state’s first local law to regulate helicopter traffic and a law establishing the LIPA Oversight Commission. He also reduced the tax burden on residents by promoting smart government initiatives and real tax reform.
Romaine earned a B.A. in History from Adelphi University and a Masters in History from Long Island University.
Maria Z. Moore
Maria Moore was elected Town of Southampton supervisor in November of 2023.
Prior to her election as supervisor, Moore served for nearly a decade as mayor of the Village of Westhampton Beach, spearheading the revitalization of the village’s Main Street, including contracting with Suffolk County to allow the village to connect to a county wastewater treatment plant, negotiating and overseeing all contracts to final completion and submitting grants to various levels of government to fund the massive infrastructure project.
An attorney in private practice before being elected mayor of Westhampton Beach, Moore also worked for two decades as first vice president and associate general counsel for Emigrant Bank of New York and, prior to that, as an associate attorney in banking and litigation for Berkman, Henoch, Peterson and Peddy of Garden City.
Moore earned a Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law, where she was a member of the Justinian Honorary Law and Society and served as development editor for the Syracuse Journal of International Law & Commerce. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, also cum laude, and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. While at Amherst, she also earned Commonwealth Scholar Honors.
Moore served as trustee on the Westhampton Library School Board from 2008 through 2015 and has served as coordinator of Peconic Community Council’s Homeless Program/Westhampton Branch since 2007.
Timothy C. Hubbard
Tim Hubbard was elected Town of Riverhead supervisor in November of 2023.
Born and raised in Riverhead, Hubbard graduated from Riverhead High School, attended Suffolk County Community College, and then began a 32-year career with the Riverhead Town Police Department, working his way up from part-time office to detective 1st grade. He was certified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in advanced crime prevention. Among his management responsibilities while serving for the department, Hubbard prepared the annual budget for the Juvenile Aid Bureau and Police Athletic League.
A member of the Riverhead Town Council for eight years prior to being elected supervisor, Hubbard also administered the town’s Police Athletic League for more than 22 years, fostering its growth to more than 900 local youth participants. He has been named Town of Riverhead Civic Person of the Year; Riverhead News-Review Educator of the Year; Riverhead PBA Member of the Year; and Suffolk County Youth Lacrosse Person of the Year. He has served on the Riverhead Central School District’s Board of Education, as a past member of Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance/EMT and on the Eastern Suffolk BOCES Advisory Board.
Tim and his wife, Lisa, have five children and five grandchildren.
Daniel J. Panico, Member
Dan Panico was elected Town of Brookhaven Supervisor in November of 2023.
Prior to his tenure as supervisor, Dan served as deputy supervisor for more than a decade and as elected councilman for the 6th District for nearly 14 years. Before that, he served on the Brookhaven Town Planning Board for more than two years. Over the course of his accomplished career in public service, he has authored landmark legislation including the Brookhaven Town tax cap, anti-nepotism law and sweeping ethics reform. A pioneer in the areas of land use, zoning and planning, he has helped preserve thousands of acres of farmland and open space, worked to prevent overdevelopment, and has emphasized redevelopment of our existing developed lands. He is credited with spearheading the most aggressive crackdown on illegal housing and blighted structures in the history of Brookhaven Town. Raising the quality of life for all has been the hallmark of his tenure.
Raised in Mastic Beach, Dan graduated from William Floyd High School. Upon graduation, Dan attended Stony Brook University, where he received a double major bachelor's degree in history and political science. Dan earned a law degree from Touro Law School, where he served as president of the Student Bar Association and class orator. He also received numerous awards upon graduation, including an award for Excellence in Land Use, Zoning and Planning.
After graduation from law school, Dan practiced law and served as a senior deputy Suffolk County clerk, managing both Supreme and County Court cases to provide for the orderly and efficient entry and filing of litigation. He worked to make Suffolk County one of the first counties in New York State to utilize and implement electronic filing. In addition, as a member of the Town of Brookhaven Planning Board, he helped shape the character of the town to ensure that development was done in a responsible manner. Dan won a seat on the Town Board in a special election on March 9, 2010, following the death of his friend, Keith Romaine.
In 2016, Dan was recognized by the Long Island Business News as a rising star at their prestigious “40 under 40” Annual Awards Gala and nominated for Stony Brook University’s "40 under 40 Award" as well. Later that year, he received William Floyd School District’s Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2022, Dan was honored by the New York State Grand Lodge Foundation, Order of the Ancient Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, at its 38th Annual Awards Dinner, receiving their highest honor, the Golden Lion. Touro Law School has twice recognized him as "Elected Official of the Year." A practicing lawyer, Dan has always been drawn to the opportunity to help others. He resides in Center Moriches with his wife, Deanna, and their children, Grant and Brooke.