Meet The Candidate: Liz Gillooly For Southold Town Trustee

NORTH FORK, NY — Suffolk County residents will be heading to the polls Tuesday to elect local representatives and make their voices heard.

Residents will weigh in on the race to represent one of the 18 legislative districts in Suffolk County, vote for Suffolk County District Attorney and Sheriff (both are running unopposed) — and choose their local town elected officials.

On the North Fork, six candidates are running for three open Southold Town trustee seats. Incumbent Liz Gillooly (Democratic, Working Families) has thrown her hat into the ring with Eric Sepenoski (Democratic, Working Families), Joseph Finora (Democratic, Working Families), Nathan Andruski (Republican, Conservative), Terri Boyle Romanelli (Republican, Conservative) and Pindar Damianos, (Republican, Conservative).

Name

Liz Gillooly

How old will you be as of Election Day?

35

Does your campaign have a website?

Southold Dems

What city or town do you live in?

Greenport

What office are you seeking?

Town Trustee

Party affiliation

Democrat, Working Families

Education

AA Political Science, Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society, 4.0 GPA

What is your occupation?

Licensed Sailboat Captain, Director of Operations, NFAC

Do you have a family? If so, please tell us about them.

I am married and have a 7-month-old son who I am raising in Greenport.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.
Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, I am an incumbent Town Trustee.

Now we'd like to ask a few questions about your reasons for running and your general views on politics and government. First, why are you seeking this office?

I’m running for re-election because I care deeply about protecting Southold’s waterways, coastal resilience, and the integrity of our local government. As a trustee, I’ve worked to modernize outdated codes, improve transparency, and bring researched experience to complex environmental decisions. My goal is to keep Southold’s natural resources healthy and accessible for future generations while ensuring that property owners, businesses, and residents have a fair and predictable process. This work requires experience, collaboration, and consistency and I’m proud to offer all three.

What needs to be done to address water quality issues on LI?

The single most pressing issue for our water quality is nitrogen pollution from outdated septic systems, fertilizer runoff, and stormwater that carries contaminants into our bays and creeks. To address it, we need sustained investment in wastewater infrastructure, smarter land-use planning that limits development near wetlands and encourages large natural buffers, and stronger collaboration between local governments, scientists, and residents. We’ve made progress, but the scale of the problem demands regional coordination, federal investment, and consistent enforcement.

What do you think can be done to help improve our infrastructure, highways, etc.?

We need to invest in infrastructure that maintains and modernizes roads, drainage, and utilities while also planning smarter for the future. This includes improving stormwater management to protect our bays and continuing the incredible work of cutting outfalls. Infrastructure improvements should go hand in hand with environmental resilience and thoughtful land use.

How would you plan to help local business owners, who are struggling because of high rents, inflation and labor shortages?

While this issue isn’t directly within the trustees’ purview, I understand the challenges local business owners face. As someone who’s run a small business myself, I know how tough it can be to manage rising costs and staffing shortages. I’ll continue to advocate for policies that support affordable housing and workforce stability, because without places for workers to live, our local economy can’t thrive. Collaboration between the trustees, the town board, and the business community is essential to keeping Southold a place where small businesses can survive and grow.

How are federal issues impacting local government?

Federal disinvestment in environmental protection is deeply concerning. Under EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin (a former representative of our district) the agency has cancelled hundreds of grants, frozen billions in climate and clean-water funding, and proposed large cuts to enforcement and state support. For a waterfront community like ours facing sea level rise, increased storms and shoreline pressure, this means the federal partner we’ve counted on is stepping back, leaving the load at the local level which is untenable.

What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

Experience and commitment set me apart. As an incumbent trustee, I have a proven record of showing up, doing the work, and delivering results for Southold. I bring hands-on experience navigating complex environmental and code issues, along with a technical background as a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain. I’m deeply invested in this community, I live here, work here, and regularly attend public hearings to stay engaged with the issues that matter most to residents. My approach is practical, informed, and focused on long-term protection of our waterways and coastline.

What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?

Beyond coastal protection, my focus as trustee continues to be on process, education, and advocacy.

That means improving process so residents experience fairness and transparency in every decision; supporting education so the public better understands how coastal systems work and how our laws protect them; and strengthening advocacy so Southold has a strong voice in regional and state conversations about our environment and infrastructure.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’ve shown that I can approach complex issues with balance, preparation, and follow-through. During my time as trustee, I’ve helped navigate challenging coastal cases, contributed to code updates, and strengthened coordination between boards and departments. My background as a licensed captain gives me a grounded understanding of local waters, and my track record in operations and community partnerships shows I can translate plans into results.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I love this town, the water, the people, the quirky small-town politics, all of it. I take the work seriously but try not to take myself too seriously. I believe in listening, laughing when we can, and keeping perspective even when things get complicated. I’m raising my family here, I work on the same waters I grew up on, and I feel lucky every day to help protect this place we all call home.