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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Please be advised this Thursday's village board work session will now be held at 3pm instead of 6pm to allow for the Village Board of Trustees and the public to attend the Suffolk County Water Authority public hearing being held at the Southold Town Recreation Center at 5pm.
I wish to thank Suffolk County Water Authority CEO Jeff Szabo and team for attending a recent village meeting to speak on the significant local drought conditions and need for the new clean water pipeline. For more information please go to https://www.scwa.com/nfp/ to read about the plans and challenges we are experiencing with wells on the North Fork. It's imperative that those interested review the website for more information and plan to speak at the public hearing or send a letter as requested on the website link.
Clean water should be a human right in my opinion, and it is up to elected leaders like myself along with our Village and Town Boards to properly manage growth through zoning and water conservation laws. That is our job as elected representatives of the region and the Water Authority's job to ensure the delivery of clean water and act as advisor on needed local conservation efforts. The Water Authority has no responsibility or impact over zoning and development which is under local Town and Village control due to New York State home rule law.
Lastly, I wish to share that longtime Trustee Julia Robins has tendered her resignation to me and the Village effective September 1st. Trustee Robins will be moving her residence just outside Village lines and consequently can no longer serve as she will not meet the residency requirements.
Join me in thanking Trustee Robins for her longstanding contributions to public service in our Village during her time in office. Over three terms, and now serving in her fourth four year term in office, Trustee Robins has dedicated her time to our community with a particular focus on needed affordable housing, the downtown business district, and her role as board liaison to the Carousel Committee. I know I speak for the whole board in sharing our deep appreciation for the time she has given our village and our work together on a variety of issues over the last three years.
Now, what happens next: a temporary replacement for the vacant seat will be appointed to fill the role for the balance of the official year (per section 3-312(b) of New York State Village Law) until the next election of March 2027. A special election could have been held, but with timing being so close to the next election and significant added expenses, it doesn't make sense with this short window.
The March 2027 election will now have four seats up instead of three. Please see below for more information:
Mayor- which I stated when I ran for office I would only serve one term (four year term)
Trustee Lily Dougherty-Johnson's seat will be up for election (four year term)
Trustee Patrick Brennan's (also currently appointed as Deputy Mayor, one year term) seat will be up for election (four year term)
Trustee seat vacated by Trustee Robins will be up for election for the remainder of the four year term (two years remaining)
Please note when candidates declare their intention to run in the 2027 election, they will need to declare if they intend to run for each of the following:
-Mayor
-Trustee (two seats each with four year terms)
-Trustee unexpired (one seat with remaining two year term)
As all know, Clerk Candace Hall is charged with running village of Greenport elections per New York State law. As I've expressed prior, the village is very proud of the accolades Clerk Hall has received by each the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) and others for her exemplary service in making our elections a standard bearer of public disclosure and fairness.
Should anyone be interested in serving as a village trustee for the next six months in the vacated role, please send an email to me at mayor@villageofgreenport.gov and copy Clerk Hall at chall@villageofgreenport.gov by Wednesday, August 26th at 4:30pm. Please include a few sentences about why you wish to serve and any relevant experience whether in public service, charitable or professional work. I will be reviewing expressions of interest together with my fellow board members and look to make an announcement in September to fill the vacancy.
Most of all, it's imperative that anyone considering the role do so with a desire to serve their community and place the village and constituents first above all; and, adhere to our recently adopted ethics code. Public service is important for our village and I thank all who serve on the many committees, boards and teaching our youth at local schools here and in the wider North Fork community.
Thank you kindly and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
My very best always,
Mayor Kevin Stuessi
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