Two Appointed To Suffolk County Council Of Environmental Quality

The Suffolk County Council on Environmental Quality is back up to full power.

On Tuesday, May 15, the council appointed Andrea Spilka of Eastport to fill the seat vacated in December 2017 by Gloria Russo, who resigned due to personal reasons. Suffolk County Legislator Bridget Fleming nominated Ms. Spilka for the unpaid position last month.

Thomas Gulbransen of Setauket was also reappointed to his seat on the 11-member council last week, after being nominated by Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn. Ms. Spilka and Mr. Gulbransen will take their seats on June 20, and will be eligible to seek a full three-year term in March 2020.

Members of the CEQ—established in 1970 by the county’s Environmental Bill of Rights—are responsible for providing advice and assistance to the Suffolk County government on the implementation of and compliance with the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

“It’s good to have very knowledgeable members of the community who understand environmental impacts, which is why Andrea is so perfect,” Ms. Fleming said.

Ms. Spilka is president of the Southampton Town Civic Coalition and a member of the East Moriches Property Owners Association, Brookhaven Town Open Space and Farmland Acquisition Advisory Committee, League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, and the Southampton Water Protection Alliance.

Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman also named her Suffolk County’s “Woman of Distinction” in 2012, recognizing her tireless commitment to her community.

“I’ve worked hard to preserve the quality of life in the area and ensure that the community is represented in the decision-making process,” Ms. Spilka said this week.

She has also worked with Councilwoman Julie Lofstad to create a Housing Opportunity Committee designed to create small-scale affordable housing projects in each of the hamlets, as well as with Brookhaven Town officials to pressure the Long Island Power Authority and PSEG Long Island to bury more than 200 steel utility poles stretching from Riverside to Eastport that were installed last year.

“Andrea’s commitment to serving the people of our community … is exactly the type of representation we need,” Ms. Fleming said in a press release last week. “I am confident in her abilities to protect our natural resources, and I am excited to have such a well-qualified individual as a member of the CEQ.”

Mr. Gulbransen was forced to vacate his position last December after missing four consecutive meetings, which are held monthly at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge.

“He brings a lot to the table,” Ms. Fleming said of Mr. Gulbransen, a coastal ecologist with Battelle Memorial Institute in Stony Brook.

“It’s a great opportunity to convert my career expertise into regional solutions,” Mr. Gulbransen said on Tuesday.