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Age: 51
Hometown: Hampton Bays
Occupation: marine insurance
Political Affiliation: Democrat
Political Experience: none
Do you think stormwater runoff is a problem the Trustees should be involved in trying to fix? Why or how?
They have to interface with the highway departments and find scientific ways to sponge up the runoff. When you see water running off from the road into the bay or into a stream you know it’s something you have to attend to. Take Pine Street in Flanders: there’s an old ramp, on Sunday in that rain there was water running off right into the bay. You have to work with the other arms of the government. It’s something that is going to take a concerted effort. When the land starts stirring with the water, you have to cross the line and make friends and find solutions.
Do you think the Trustees can or should be doing more to help the local commercial fishing industry? Why?
Our obligation is to help all residents have access to the bays. That must be done with responsibility and balance. You do what you can, you have to keep a sustainable harvest. The Trustees need to open their doors to other baymen, scientists, legal experts, in order to have those people involved so they get a general consensus on what should be done. My feeling is the door is open but not open as far as it should be.
How should the Trustees be involved in improving water quality in the town’s freshwater ponds?
Freshwater suffers the same demise that the saltwater does. If you have road runoff, if you have sewage plumes, you have to figure how to delete those types of forces. Take it to the people who live near ponds with zero setback. You need 20 or 30 feet. Education is a good thing and I think we should even be talking about giving some sort of a tax break to homeowners if they can prove that they have a healthy vegetative buffer between their house and the water. Give them some sort of incentive.
on Oct 30, 2009