Steven Flottern Seeks Reelection For LD 11: Candidate Profile

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Suffolk County residents will be lining up at the polls for Election Day on Nov. 7, or early voting from Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, where they will be voting for their chosen candidates.

Incumbent Steven J Flotteron, who has held the position since 2018, is running for reelection as Legislator of the 11th District.

He is challenged by Democratic candidate Lucas Deitch.

The 11th District includes all of West Islip and Brightwaters, most of Bay Shore and portions of Islip, Islip Terrace and Deer Park. It is bounded roughly by Southern State Parkway to the north, the Great South Bay to the south and Route 231 to the west.

Patch reached out to both candidates to hear where they stand on important issues affecting the community. The answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Name

Steven J Flotteron

How old will you be as of Election Day?

62

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

https://www.stevenflotteron.co...

What city or town do you live in?

Brightwaters

What office are you seeking?

Suffolk County Legislator

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

11th Legislative District

Party affiliation

Republican and Conservative

Education

BS in Business

What is your occupation?

Elected Official - Suffolk County Legislature

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

Ellen (spouse), Madison (daughter), Morgan (daughter).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

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

Islip Town councilman 2006 to 2017, Suffolk County legislator 2018 to present.

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?

To be a voice for all of the Suffolk County residents. To make sure Suffolk County is a safe and affordable place to raise a family or to have a business.

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

Affordability and Suffolk County's financial stability. With my financial and business background, I will continue to fight against wasteful spending and increased taxes and fees.

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

We need to treat water quality issues with a wholistic approach. The solution to water quality is multifactorial; not just a single chemical compound such as nitrogen. I am currently in discussions with renowned scientists and local environmental groups who are experts in the field of water quality.

We need to look at sewers, septic systems, nitrogen, water volume levels in the sub watershed and aquifers, storm water runoff, sumps, leeching fields, recharge, and our streams.

All of these working together in unison will restore the highly profitable clam industry in Suffolk County, improve drinking water quality, decrease, or even eliminate harmful algae blooms, foster increased aquatic life and be safer for people to enjoy the benefits of living on this great island.

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

My number one infrastructure concern right now is our wastewater management across the County. We need to secure state and federal aid not only to improve water management but also all our roads and county buildings.

We need to invest in more grant writers in order to secure more state and federal money that is available to fund these projects without increasing the tax burden to our residents.

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

As the budget and finance committee chairman, I am committed to continue our work to stop wasteful spending and give more support to our local business. We need to get people back to work by offering fair wages and support our businesses by getting rid of obtrusive government red tape.

We created the JumpSMART investment program for small business, arts, recreation, and tourism downtown to offer this businesses assistance and bring more tourism to the area and in turn, bring in more financial stability.

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?

As a nation of immigrants, I fully support legal immigration. At some point, most of us arrived here seeking the American dream. Our cultural diversity is what gives us strength as the greatest Country in the world. New York is a beacon of that strength.

I oppose illegal immigration. I understand there are certain circumstances where people are seeking asylum and protection from an immediate threat.

That is not what is occurring at our borders. We need to secure our borders and support legal immigration. We are seeing our cities’ resources exhausted trying to handle the mass influx caused by our unsecure boarders and failed immigration policies.

We will continue to protect our residents in Suffolk County from their resources being exhausted and explore all legal options to keep Suffolk free from the poor policies exhibited in NYC.

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

Experience and proven results.

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

My top priorities are safety, financial stability, and wastewater management.

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

Over the last five years, I have co-chaired the Coalition for Fire Island Wastewater Solutions. The DEC has declared the South Shore Estuary Reserve an "impaired body of water" and nitrogen from wastewater was identified as a leading cause.

While Suffolk County is expanding sewer treatment plants across the county, there is no real comprehensive plan for Fire Island, which presently mostly relies on antiquated septic and cesspool systems.

The first hurdle was forming a coalition with the multiple jurisdictions that make up Fire Island. There are two villages, two towns, county and state agencies, and the National Seashore. These jurisdictions met multiple times and united on the first major steps of requesting and achieving funding for the "Fire Island Wastewater Solutions Planning & Engineering Study".

This plan is a crucial first step towards solving the unique challenges facing Fire Island wastewater management needs. Which ultimately will help the future health of our Great South Bay.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Always do the right thing for the right reasons. Especially when it may be an unpopular public opinion.

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

My 37 years of financial experience, combined with my 18 years of elected office experience, has helped me lead the town and now the county into better financial stability.