Brookhaven mourns Councilman Keith Romaine
Moriches resident dies suddenly, following brief illness
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A hearse carrying the body of Brookhaven Councilman Keith Romaine drives under a flag held aloft by trucks from the Brookhaven Fire Department Wednesday. A memorial service for Mr. Romaine is expected to be held at Town Hall before Tuesday's Town Board meeting.
A lone bagpiper from the Suffolk County Police Emerald Society saluted Mr. Romaine, 36, who died Saturday from pneumonia complications 11 days after winning re-election to a second term in office, playing a rendition of the Irish ballad "Danny Boy" as dozens of mourners filed into the church for his burial Mass.
"People, it doesn't get any sadder than this," Father Todd Saccoccia said as he stood over Mr. Romaine's coffin, which was draped with a white funeral pall, symbolic of the one he was given as an infant at his baptism. Father Saccoccia recalled Mr. Romaine as a good son, friend and public servant who should serve as an inspiration to others.
"Thank you, Keith," he said.
Dan Panico, a spokesman for the Romaine family, said Mr. Romaine had recently been diagnosed with pneumonia and then a virus attacked his heart and significantly weakened it, causing his death at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday. Mr. Panico, who served as a pallbearer along with Mr. Romaine's brother, Kevin, said the councilman did not feel well toward the end of his recent campaign, but he kept working through the illness.
Mr. Romaine, the son of Suffolk County Legislator Ed Romaine and a Moriches resident who represented the 6th Council District, which includes parts of Ridge, was first elected in 2007. In addition to his father and brother, Mr. Romaine is survived by his grandfather, Edward Sr.
"He absolutely believed in public service and believed in the people he represented," Mr. Panico said this week.
Mr. Romaine's aunt, Maureen McGovern, shared a few anecdotes from his life at the funeral Wednesday, saying that, like his favorite singer, Frank Sinatra, the councilman did it his way.
Supervisor Mark Lesko on Saturday ordered all flags outside town buildings lowered to half mast, a move that most fire departments and ambulance companies observed in the 6th District. A Town Board work session scheduled for Nov. 19 was canceled and a memorial service will be held for Mr. Romaine at the start of this Tuesday's board meeting.
Mr. Lesko called his colleague's death a tragedy, recalling Mr. Romaine as a passionate person who fought for the issues he believed in.
"It's just a sad day in Brookhaven," he said.
But the tragedy drives home another message, Mr. Lesko said.
"It kind of makes us all realize that there are much more important things in this world than politics."
Brookhaven Republican Committee chairman Jesse Garcia called Mr. Romaine's death a "complete shock and tragedy."
"He is a man of great character and to lose a friend and colleague and person like Keith Romaine is just shocking," Mr. Garcia said. "We need more Keith Romaines in our communities and our lives."
Mr. Garcia called the councilman a "fighter," who was doggedly dedicated and committed to his constituents, adding that he was not surprised the councilman kept on going despite his illness.
"It was a testament to his character," Mr. Garcia said. "He never stopped fighting for the people of the 6th District. That's just the way he is."
Second District Councilwoman Jane Bonner said she was stunned by the news.
"In the last six months he had become a really good friend," Ms. Bonner recalled. "We were in the trenches together."
Under town law, Mr. Romaine's seat will need to be filled through a special election, which must be set within 60 to 90 days after a vacancy has been declared on the Town Board. It is the supervisor who would be responsible for setting a date, which many speculate will be in March and will coincide with other special elections around the county, including one for the soon-to-be vacant Assembly seat of Town Clerk-elect Patricia Eddington.
peggy@northshoresun.com
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1 comments found
: 11/20/2009
Respectively written article. Thank you.
