Losquadro Says Experience Is Key In Comptroller Bid

Brookhaven Highway Superintendent Daniel Losquadro is making his case for Suffolk County comptroller by pointing to more than 13 years running one of the town’s largest departments and a career that has taken him through county, state and town government.

Losquadro, running on the Republican and Conservative lines, faces Democrat Jonathan Estreich in the Nov. 3 election. The seat is currently held by John Kennedy, who is leaving because of term limits.

Losquadro said he believes the Highway Department he will leave behind is dramatically different from the one he inherited.

“I’m going to be handing off an organization and a machine, if you will, that functions as intended,” he said, describing a department with more modern systems, defined chains of command and established procedures.

That experience, he said, shaped his preference for the executive side of government.

“The buck stops with you,” Losquadro said. “That’s the part of government that I want to do.”

Before becoming highway superintendent, Losquadro served in the Suffolk County Legislature, where he was Republican conference leader and minority leader, and later in the State Assembly.

The Highway Department proved a better fit with his construction and technical background, he said, as well as earlier work as an insurance claims adjuster and fraud investigator.

Now Losquadro says he sees the comptroller’s office as another opportunity to reshape a major government operation.

“I think any organization, the mindset always has to be constant quality improvement,” he said.

Losquadro praised Kennedy’s tenure, particularly the rebuilding of the county’s IT and cybersecurity capabilities after the 2022 cyberattack, but said the next administration should move aggressively on audits, technology and revenue recovery.

Among Losquadro’s priorities would be scrutinizing hotel and motel tax collections from short-term rental companies such as Airbnb and VRBO. He said he believes Suffolk may not be receiving everything it is owed.

“If they cannot provide us with the information conclusively proving to us that we are getting everything we’re entitled to, well, then changes will be forthcoming,” he warned.

He also wants stronger auditing of healthcare spending, county contracts and potential fraud, waste and abuse. His insurance background, he said, taught him that billing systems can be vulnerable to abuse and that technology can increasingly be used to identify suspicious patterns.

Losquadro said he also wants employees and outsiders to know that whistleblowers will be protected and tips taken seriously.

His management philosophy, he said, is built around giving employees responsibility while constantly questioning outdated practices.

“If you want to guarantee that you will elicit a negative response from me, tell me, ‘That’s the way we’ve always done it,’” Losquadro said. “If I ask why we’re doing something, you should have a reason.”

After more than a decade overseeing Brookhaven’s roads, drainage, traffic safety and storm response, Losquadro said the comptroller’s office represents a rare second opportunity to fundamentally remake a large public organization.

“I feel like I am being blessed with two opportunities at that level,” he said.