Candidate Profile: Stephanie Bontempi For Suffolk LD 18

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Voters in Suffolk County will head to the polls Nov. 7 to cast their ballots for the Suffolk County Legislature.

In District 18 — including Cold Spring Harbor, Greenlawn, Lloyd Harbor, Huntington, Halesite, Huntington Bay, Centerport, Northport, Asharoken and Eaton's Neck, as well as parts of Huntington Station, Elwood and East Northport — voters will elect Republican incumbent Stephanie Bontempi or Democratic challenger Eve Meltzer-Krief.

Patch reached out to both candidates to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community.

Here are the responses for those who participated. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Name

Stephanie Bontempi

How old will you be as of Election Day?

57

Does your campaign have a website? If so, include the URL here.

https://stephanieforsuffolk.co...

What city or town do you live in?

Centerport

What office are you seeking?

Suffolk County Legislator, #18

If you are running in a district, you can specify the district here.

18th Suffolk County Legislative District

Party affiliation.

Republican, Conservative

Education.

BSBA Economics/Finance, MS Elementary Education, MS Educational Technology

What is your occupation?

County Legislator, finishing up my second year, first term in office.

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

Husband, Bob. Three children - Sofia, 19, attending L.I.U. Post -John, 29, defense attorney in Charlotte, NC - Emily, 25, corporate attorney in Chicago, Illinois. A rescue cat, Lexi, and our new puppy, Theodore who is a dachshund.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Have you ever held a public office, whether appointive or elective?

Yes, currently in public office. Suffolk County Legislator, 18th district

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 am the incumbent and very proud of what my colleagues and I have achieved in our short time in office. From adding housing for veterans and the disabled, preserving open space and protecting our environment, to making our communities safer and revitalizing our downtowns and creating job opportunities, we have listened to our constituents and their needs. But we are just getting started! I want to continue making Suffolk County a wonderful place to live, work, and play!

Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is \_\_\_, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Affordability...by adding more sewers we will be able to add more affordable housing and more economic development, i.e. more job opportunities. In addition to protecting our groundwater, additional sewers will help keep our harbors and bays clean.

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

We need to add more sewers as well as allocate more funding and efforts towards stormwater runoff. 90% of the pollutants in our harbors and bays come from stormwater runoff. With more and more impermeable surfaces, such a parking lots, storm water cannot seep through the soil and instead, it runs down to our harbors and bays, bringing all kinds of dangerous pollutants with it.

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

First and foremost, we need elected officials who understand the importance of infrastructure and how it drives economic development; affordable housing, jobs, etc. So we come back to sewers. And as a legislature, we have approved millions of dollars in new sewer projects. In addition, it is important to look for any possible Federal and State grant opportunities, which there are many. We must ensure that we are getting our fair share on Long Island.

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

Cut red tape. There are too many restrictions, permit requirements, and not enough streamlined processes to make it easy for small businesses. I would also partner with small businesses to address the issue of labor shortages. Additonially, an untapped resource of labor is our population with disabilities. I would encourage more job fairs, as the one Winters Center for Autism recently held, where people on the Autism spectrum where able to meet with local employers to explore employment opportunities.

What is your stance on the current migrant situation affecting New York? And migrants were to be directed to shelters on Long Island, how would you prepare/plan for that?

This is a Federal issue and we need funding from the Federal government before considering anything. However, we have many homeless people in Suffolk County as it is, we lack emergency responders, teachers- we simply do not have the infrastructure necessary to take on more people. And even if we were to receive funding, how quickly would we be able to build more housing, hire more emergency workers, teachers? We all feel terrible for the migrants who traveled all the way to the United States with hopes of a better future. But we need to say "STOP" and force the Federal government to do the right thing and work in a bipartisan way to come up with a solution to the migrant issue. We would simply enable the situation by taking on more migrants in Suffolk County. Let's not bail the Federal Government out - let's force them to work this out. Or, nothing will change...

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

Apart from our philosophical differences, we see the job of the representative of the residents in the 18th legislative district very differently. As per the Suffolk County Charter, the position of a County Legislator is a full-time one. I resigned from my teaching job to take it on full-time and I have been working for my constituents and the rest of Suffolk County ever since I was elected in 2021. My opponent, however, has stated that she will continue her full-time job at her pediatric practice and "carve out time in-between patients" to do the job of County legislator. To sum it up, I am devoted to the residents of our district and County, and I consider it an honor and duty to represent our taxpayers to the best of my abilities, full-time.

If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?

I am the incumbent.

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

If this is referring to what other issues I will address if I am re-elected, they are continued emphasis on public safety, environmental protection, drug addiction and mental health support.

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

My record speaks for itself. In my first term in office - less than two years - I have worked tirelessly for the residents of my district and County. Over $155 million allocated for clean water, open space preservation, and wastewater initiatives. Together with my colleagues, we have provided funding for additional police officers, we have reinstated a more sophisticated shot-spotter program, I have helped veterans and the disabled secure housing opportunities, I have secured funding for the restoration of historic properties - I could go on and on. And how was this possible? Because I take the job of being your representative seriously. I am not treating the job as a "side-gig." And as a taxpayer and Suffolk County resident myself, (of course!), I am insulted and dismayed that someone would run for this office and think that they would be able to do the right thing by us...by squeezing in time in-between patients.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Always work hard. Never look for glory - always remain humble. Be kind - never forget to be kind - my father.

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

It has been a true pleasure and honor to serve the residents of our district and the rest of Suffolk County for the last two years. I hope you will be given me a chance to continue the important work of making our County a place to live, work, play, and retire.