Election 2017

Election 2017: Southold Town Trustee candidates

Town Trustee
Four-year term; three open seats
Salary: $19,371

Derek Bossen

Occupation: Landscape designer, horticulturist

Hamlet: Southold

Party lines: Democratic

About him: Mr. Bossen, 47, lives in Southold with his wife and two sons. He is an Eagle Scout and serves as a Cubmaster and Little League coach. He is a 13-year volunteer member of the Southold Town tree committee and a past member of the town Conservation Advisory Committee. He also runs a small home-based business.

His pitch: Mr. Bossen said he is running because it’s time for new faces. We “can’t sustain a one-party rule system; it’s time for new blood,” he said. He is a lifelong environmentalist, and spent  summers on the bays and beaches of Long Island, working for the LI State Park Commission, for a decade before moving to the North Fork 17 years ago.  He said his practical experience with tree care, invasive plant species management and methods of re-vegetation prepare him to evaluate proposals to the board. He has made multiple presentations to the Southold Town Trustees over the last 13-plus years for clients throughout the North Fork, he said.

In his words: “My continued dedication to protecting the coastal environmental with proven scientific methods and results will bring about a renewed energy to the Trustee board.”

John Bredemeyer

Occupation: Retired from Suffolk County Health Department Division of Environmental Quality; adjunct science faculty member, Suffolk County Community College.

Hamlet: Orient

Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence

About him: Mr. Bredemeyer, 66, is a Cornell University-educated scientist. He has been a Southold Trustee for 18 years and a member of the Peconic Estuary Program for 25 years. He is chairman of Southold Town’s shellfish advisory committee.

His pitch: A “science baby,” Mr. Bredemeyer said he has been blessed by the support of family, community, scientist-educators, colleagues and medical professionals who have enabled him to continue a life of public service as a scientist, educator and elected official. A former Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil, he assisted in public health and agriculture programs, while seeing the destruction of the Amazon region first-hand. He later served 35 years in the Suffolk County Department of Health where he was a member of the Peconic Estuary Program team, and performed more than 15,000 hours of technical microscopy on harmful algal blooms, receiving training from some of the best marine scientists in the world. The PEP database is one of the most complete surface water quality records ever created, enabling sound science-based policy decisions on such problems as nitrogen reduction.

In his words: “If you appreciate science in the public interest and experience working for you, I ask for your vote.”

Michael J. Domino

Occupation: Retired earth science teacher, real estate property manager

Hamlet: Southold

Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence

About him: Mr. Domino, 73, has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Adelphi University, a master’s in education, also from Adelphi, and a master’s in applied science, from the School of Engineering at Stony Brook University. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 1968. He has served on the Southold Town tree committee, the town Anti-Bias Task Force and  the North Fork Environmental Council, and taught earth science at Rocky Point High School for 31 years. He has been married to his wife, Joy Elizabeth, for 51 years. They have four children and six grandchildren.

His pitch: This past January, the Trustees asked Mr. Domino to become their president. They recognized his work in developing a local emergency response to superstorm Sandy, his 100 percent attendance record at all Trustee field inspections, work sessions and public hearings and his commitment to working across party lines to balance town goals with environmental preservation, he said. He has been the chief advocate for the Coastal Contractor Registry, designed to protect constituents from unscrupulous contractors. Repeat offenders will no longer find it easy to pay a small fine and ask for forgiveness. As a NYSDEC certified water sampler, he works closely with the Trustees’ vice-president, John Bredemeyer, the town engineer and members of the shellfish advisory committee to improve water quality to allow the reopening of creeks to shellfishing. He said he will continue to advocate for advanced wastewater treatment systems that help lower nitrates and contaminants in our surface water and groundwater without increasing housing density in order to protect our quality of life.

In his words: “I will continue to work with other organizations — Peconic Estuary Program, Save Our Sound, etc. — and other elected officials committed to improving water quality.”

Elizabeth C. Smith

Occupation: Environmental economist

Hamlet: Greenport

Party lines: Democratic

About her: Ms. Smith, 43, is an environmental economist with a Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island. She has worked on conservation issues, water quality policies and resource management. She is a member of the Conservation Advisory Council.  Liz and her partner, Noah, put down roots in Greenport, buying their first home in the village. They can often be found on or near the water with their two dogs in tow.

Her pitch: The Southold Town Board of Trustees is a team and every team needs a diversity of skill sets to execute most effectively, Ms. Smith said. She said the current Board of Trustees makes decisions without expertise in considering the short- and long-term costs and benefits of their decisions – without the economic analysis background that she said she brings to the table. “I am uniquely qualified to provide this perspective to the permitting issues the Trustees face,” Ms. Smith said. She added that protecting our waters is not a “political stepping stone” for her.

In her words: “This is the work I do every day and I ask for your support so I can use my years of experience for Southold. Vote for me because I am experienced and passionate – I will represent you and fight to protect one of Southold’s main assets, our waters.”

Greg Williams

Occupation: Owner, Country Time Cycle, Mattituck

Hamlet: Cutchogue

Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence

About him: Mr. Williams, 45, grew up on New Suffolk Avenue in Mattituck. As a kid, he spent most of his free time on or in Deep Hole Creek developing both a knowledge and love of the creek and bay.  With an interest in the outdoors, he purchased Country Time Cycle in 1997. He and his wife, Karen, married in 1997 and are raising their children, Connor and Ainsley, in Cutchogue.  The family spends their free time boating, fishing and enjoying the local beaches. Mr. Williams is involved with many local organizations, including Southold Town CAC, CYO basketball, Knights of Columbus, Scouts, CAST and others.

His pitch: Having been a lifelong resident of Southold Town, Mr. Williams points to a hands-on knowledge of the town, its residents and unique way of life. Through his work at the bicycle shop, his involvement with many local organizations and his family’s local roots, he said, “I know the people of our town and they know me.”  The North Fork is going through tremendous change, he said, and it is vital that the right people are in the local government guiding this change to protect the quality of life, waters and lands. He said that being on the Conservation Advisory Council and hands-on experience working with the current Trustees has positioned him to serve in that capacity.

In his words: “Owning a business in the outdoor recreation business, I am fully invested in the future of the North Fork.”