Election 2015

Town Trustee 2015 Endorsement: David Bergen and A. Nicholas Krupski

Town Trustee endorsements
David Bergen (left) and A. Nicholas Krupski.

Deciding on which two candidates to support in this year’s race for Southold Town Board of Trustees is no easy feat. The four candidates seeking the two open seats all exhibited strong local knowledge, solid ideas and experience with our waterways.

The candidate who stood out most to us was the lone incumbent, Dave Bergen. He has 10 years’ experience as a Trustee, has been an independent voice and genuinely cares about the issues before the board.

Mr. Bergen also understands just how much hard work it is to serve on the board, even though it only meets once a month and pays the lowest salary of any elected town office. The incumbent particularly excels at building relationships in the community and with other elected officials. If the board is going to have any success lobbying New York State officials to get the state Department of Environmental Conservation to reopen waterways long closed to shellfishing on the North Fork, those relationships could prove crucial.

For us, this is a three-way race to fill the seat being left vacant by retiring Trustee Jim King. Of the three challengers, Democrat Nick Krupski seems to have the best experience for the job, and that’s what gives him an edge over running mates Matt Kapell and Republican Glenn Goldsmith.

Mr. Krupski, the son of Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski, a former Trustee, said this position has been in his sights since childhood — and he certainly has prepared himself for it.

A field operator with the Suffolk County Water Authority, Mr. Krupski previously worked in the marine program at Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead. He studied geology and environmental science at SUNY/Cortland before earning a graduate degree in biology and education at Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus.

“I know the science behind water issues and that’s what I want to bring to the Trustees,” he said.

That’s ultimately what set him apart from Mr. Kapell, who campaigned right alongside Mr. Krupski on all the same issues, and Mr. Goldsmith. The two other challengers showed a command of the issues and a passion for the work, but the level of experience Mr. Krupski would bring to the board is too great to ignore.

We believe Mr. Bergen and Mr. Krupski are most deserving of your vote.