Letters

It seems we pay far more attention to public affairs at the town, state and federal levels than we do to county matters. They just seem to get overlooked.

That’s a serious mistake. There are big, important things happening in Suffolk County government — and one of the people making them happen is Ann Welker, our outstanding county legislator.

But how can this be, you may ask, when everything’s so polarized, and Ann’s one of only six Democrats in an 18-seat legislature?

It happens because Ann Welker is one of those rare people who overlooks party divisions and just gets together with others to get things done. The way she puts it is, “I refuse to live in that line in the sand.”

This comes largely from her time as one of only two Democrats, and the only woman ever, on the Southampton Town Trustees. In these conditions, you have to grasp the initiative and work with the other guys, and that’s just what Ann did, time and again, and what she still does as a legislator.

Ann Welker uses this bipartisan approach to advance her view that the environment, the economy and health are closely linked. We’ve long known that our local environment and economy are interdependent, but the community’s health is also part of the mix.

Stemming from her work as a Trustee, Ann starts with water quality, focusing on replacing old septics with improved treatment, which is a massive boost to the health of both the water and those who drink it, and then segues to improved wastewater treatment allowing more affordable housing, and the consequent reduction in traffic because more people can live near their work. So our health, environment and economy all benefit.

Much of this will be achieved by Proposition 2, which Ann, along with legislators of both parties, worked hard to get passed last November. Voters approved a one-eighth of one cent sales tax dedicated to fund upgrading septic systems and building wastewater treatment facilities, thus greatly reducing harmful nitrogen in surface and drinking water. In Ann’s words, the measure will “correct the course of water quality.”

Ann Welker is on the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Fund Board, which administers the money generated by this tax. She was appointed by County Executive Ed Romaine, one of many Republicans with whom she has a good relationship. Ann’s presence on this board demonstrates her commitment to healthy water and her bipartisan approach to achieve it.

This is but one of many ways in which Ann Welker is working for us all. In November’s election, let’s keep her doing that.

George Lynch

Quiogue

Lynch is the communications chair for the Southampton Democratic Committee — Ed.