A Newsday report shows Suffolk County with hundreds of millions of dollars in operating debt - and at least one Republican legislator says the county executive is to blame.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone touted his accomplishments during a speech in May, where he told told residents that Suffolk is now on the path to fiscal responsibility after once being $500 million in debt.

Newsday reports that millions of dollars in debt remain, and it’s a considerable burden for Suffolk. The report cites a legislative budget document that shows the county has amassed $883 million in operating debt over the past decade.  In addition, the county is required to make $72 million in debt service payments next year, essentially wiping out a projected $100 million increase in sales tax revenue.

Fort Salonga RepublicanRob Trotta is a Suffolk County legislator and a frequent Bellone critic.  Trotta says the two-term county executive should cut spending and re-negotiate contracts.

"He got himself involved in a contract that gave the cops a 28.6 percent pay increase at a time when we had no money. Anybody listening get a 28.6 percent pay increase? I don't think so," he says.

The Bellone administration is standing by its record. A spokesperson for the county executive tells News 12, "After inheriting a $500 million operating deficit and a $200 million annual budget gap from the prior administration, we made the hard choices to significantly reduce the size of government by generating over $200 million in annual savings. As a result, we've eliminated the deficit and balanced the budget while protecting taxpayers."

Bellone is expected to seek re-election in 2019.  Trotta's name has been floated as a possible Republican challenger, along with County Comptroller John Kennedy and incoming state Senate minority leader John Flanagan.