Southold councilman Greg Doroski running for Suffolk County Legislature

Southold Town Councilman Greg Doroski announced Monday that he will be running for the Suffolk County Legislature 1st District seat in November.

Mr. Doroski has served as councilman for four years, having been elected to the Town Board in 2021. During his tenure, he has been a hands-on board member who prides himself on being a “subject matter expert” on a variety of local issues such as short term rentals, zoning updates and open space preservation.

“I think we really need an advocate for the East End on the Legislature,” Mr. Doroski said in a phone interview Monday. “I feel like I can do a better job of serving my community in this position.”

The Democratic candidate grew up in Mattituck and feels that he has a deep understanding of the region’s needs and a proven commitment to its residents. His experience on the Southold Town Board is something Mr. Doroski believes gives him a special understanding of the challenges facing East End municipalities as well as insights on solutions that work best at the local level. 

“Suffolk County needs Greg Doroski,” Southold Town Supervisor and former Suffolk County legislator Al Krupski said in a news release announcing Mr. Doroski’s candidacy. “Although I hate to lose him on the Southold Town Board, he is the best person to continue the work I was doing in the legislature for the people of our district.”

Mr. Doroski said he hopes to emulate Mr. Krupski’s achievements as a legislator by playing an active role in public hearings, community events and local conversations about key issues. 

“I think it’s important for us to have a legislator who has an idea of public service like this,” Mr. Doroski said, adding that he will campaign as an advocate for the “fair share of tax dollars” on the East End to be reinvested into the 1st District. 

Mr. Doroski is an avid fisherman, waterfowl hunter and runner whose roots in the region run deep. He said his campaign will focus on promoting public safety, preserving farmland and open space, protecting and preserving local waterways and the aquifer, addressing housing affordability and improving infrastructure to support both residents and small businesses. 

He pointed to the preservation of 10,000 acres in the Town of Southold through the Community Preservation Fund as a local success story.

“When you look at agriculture — agriculture is an important part of our economy,” Mr. Doroski said. “It’s an important part of our heritage and it’s a great effort to preserve land. Farmers are stewards of the land and if we support agriculture, we’re not supporting the construction of [new] housing.”

The Town Board is currently discussing removing a time limit on the certificate of occupancy for accessory apartments, commonly known as ADUs — an initiative Mr. Doroski hopes to expand at the county level by implementing subsidy programs to help support affordable housing efforts. 

“As I look at the hotel tax money that the county is collecting, I really plan on pushing for a local program that can tap a portion of that revenue that can help address the housing affordability issue on the East End,” Mr. Doroski said. 

Beyond his work as a councilman, Mr. Doroski has also advocated for Fishers Island, Riverhead and Greenport Village to get their fair share of funding for water quality improvement funds passed in Proposition 2 in last November’s election. The sales tax program will generate roughly $4.2 billion of revenue to be used to improve sewer systems throughout Suffolk County. 

He also wants to help streamline the process for larger-scale community housing projects. “What we need to do as government is help, not put unnecessary barriers in place to prevent the construction of public goods,” he said. “We need to help incentivize and support the construction of these things. So it needs to happen on the funding level and it also needs to happen on the process level.”

A brewer by trade — he was a founder of Threes Brewing in Brooklyn and now works at Riverhead Brewhouse — Mr. Doroski is also aiming to better integrate economic opportunities with environmental stewardship. He believes his professional experience gives him a unique perspective on the struggles and aspirations of Suffolk County’s working families. 

“I’m running because I believe in building a safe, affordable and sustainable community — one that works for everyone,” Mr. Doroski said in the news release. “I’ll fight for you every day in the Legislature.”

Mr. Doroski said he plans to launch his campaign with a series of meet-and-greet events throughout the district.