Election 2015: Meet Your Southold Town Candidates
Town Trustee, four-year term, two open seats
Candidates:
David Bergen
Hamlet: Cutchogue
Occupation: Associate dean at Suffolk County Community College; Trustee
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
About him: Mr. Bergen, 60, is a longtime North Fork resident. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Miami and a master’s degree from Texas A&M. He has worked for the last 35 years as a college administrator and is currently an associate dean at Suffolk County Community College.
His pitch: Mr. Bergen, a 10-year incumbent, views water quality, the infusion of contaminants, shoaling creek entrances, the build-out of shorelines and the public’s right to access natural resources as the biggest issues facing the Board of Trustees. He touted his work introducing the pump-out boat program to the town and lobbying officials at other levels for dredging permits as among his best accomplishments in his decade of service.
In his words: “The knowledge base, the experience, and the exceptional passion which I possess drives my desire to continue to serve.”
Glenn Goldsmith
Hamlet: Mattituck
Occupation: Operations administrator at Sea Tow Services International
Party lines: Republican, Conservative, Independence and Reform
About him: Mr. Goldsmith, 38, is a lifelong Southold Town resident who has been actively involved in the local marine industry most of his life. He started his career by working 28 years at his family business, Goldsmith’s Boat Shop, and currently also works for Sea Tow. He graduated from Quinnipiac University with a degree in management. A fireman, he lives in Mattituck with his wife and two young sons.
His pitch: Mr. Goldsmith said he hopes to protect the marine environment and quality of life on the North Fork for his children and future generations. He believes he’d bring a unique voice to the board as a local businessman whose livelihood depends on the health and vitality of the marine environment.
In his words: “I make my living in the marine industry as my family has done for over 92 years. I am very familiar with the issues the Trustees face and have practical experience in dealing with those issues.”
Matthew Kapell
Hamlet: Greenport
Occupation: Associate broker, partner at Kapell Real Estate
Party lines: Democrat, Sustainable Southold
About him: Mr. Kapell, 35, is a native North Fork resident. Upon graduation with a psychology degree from Union College in 2002, he began working at his family’s real estate business. He is the son of former Greenport Mayor Dave Kapell.
His pitch: Mr. Kapell said the degradation of local waters, starting with brown tide that wiped out the bay scallops, the lobster die-off, and this year’s massive fish kills, piqued his interest in running for Trustee. He said he aims to restore opportunity for baymen and fishermen in local creeks and bays while balancing this with the rights of residents and property owners. He vowed to “open up bipartisan lines of communication with partners in local, state and federal government.”
In his words: “This approach has been very successful in supporting farming without straining local taxpayers and the time has come to do the same for our marine environment.”
A. Nicholas Krupski
Hamlet: Cutchogue
Occupation: Field operator for Suffolk County Water Authority
Party lines: Democrat, Sustainable Southold
About him: Mr. Krupski, 27, is a lifelong Cutchogue resident. He earned geology and environmental science degrees from SUNY/Cortland and master’s degrees in biology and education from L.I.U. Post. He went to work for Cornell Cooperative’s marine program, working in scallop and habitat restoration in 2008, and later as a dive technician with Coastal Monitoring Associates. He is the son of Legislator Al Krupski.
His pitch: Mr. Krupski stressed the value of the work he has done to improve water quality and marine restoration in his career and how closely it connects to the work of a Trustee. He said the scallop restoration program he worked on has increased the scallop population by 30 times. With CMA, he deployed equipment in the sea floor in highly polluted areas that produced data used in various lawsuits and remediation efforts.
In his words: “As an experienced scientist I feel that I would bring a whole new dynamic to the town.”
