Southold residents got their first chance to hear candidates for the town supervisor’s seat speak out on environmental concerns at an educational forum hosted by the New York League of Conservation Voters.
Although attendance at the event, held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cutchogue, was less than robust, the approximately 40 individuals — including elected officials and other candidates running for office in November — that turned out were able to ask questions directly to the candidates.
Moderated by Bill Toedter, president of the North Fork Environmental 
Council, the forum was the first time incumbent Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and challenger Damon Rallis spoke publicly on the issues.
The North Fork Environmental Council and a coalition of environmental and civic groups helped to organized the forum. The two candidates answered the same questions, but spoke to the audience separately, with an eye toward focusing on the issues, Toedter said.
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First up was Damon Rallis, the Democratic nominee for the supervisor’s seat.
Rallis has worked inside Town Hall for 15 years, as a plans examiner in the building department and in code enforcement.
“I’m uniquely qualified for the position of supervisor because I’ve been in Town Hall,” he said, adding that he knows all the “ins and outs.”
While Rallis said he never dreamed he’d throw his hat into the proverbial ring and run for office.
“A few years ago, I thought ‘Maybe it’s time for change,'” he said.
Toedter kicked off the night by asking what steps Rallis would take to address septic issues, reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and drive a collaborative effort on the East End.
Rallis said the town needed to work with its regional partners on the East End. “This is not one town’s problem. This is a problem we all face,” he said.
While Suffolk County has been looking into alternative systems, “They’re not there yet,” Rallis said. “But there are steps we can take.”
Rallis said the town can insist the Heritage at Cutchogue project be mandated to install a wastewater treatment system.
“We should be the lead,” Rallis said. “We can’t keep passing the buck and saying it’s the county’s problem. We have to do it here .”
Education is key, Rallis said, in addressing water degradation.
The town should be doing more to look for subsidies and incentives so individual homeowners can afford” alternative systems, he said.
Next, Toedter asked what the candidates would do to increase the awareness, education and participation of the town’s children and young adults with respect to the need to protect and preserve the environment, as well as reverse the “brain drain,” and show young adults that professional opportunities exist in town.
Rallis os Cubmaster of Pack 51 in Greenport. “Everything we teach our boys is about stewardship and protecting the environment,” he said. “We’re teaching them the tenets of Scouting: Leave no trace.”
Rallis said one of the things he’s heard and has seen is that the town has not done enough for youth. “I think we could do more. We need to make a renewed effort to get our kids involved,” he said.
Job creation is important, he said. “We have a lot of empty buildings in Southold that could create some new jobs.”
Rallis said he’d like to see a research facility on Plum Island to preserve jobs.
Next,Toedter said asked for Rallis’ position on permitting peaker plant construction in Southold.
“Based on what you told me it doesn’t sound like I would support peaker plants, but I would have to do more research,” he said.
When asked about what he would do to address coastal issues in order to protect marine ecosystems, shorelines and inland properties from storms, Rallis said working with regional partners was critical. “We need to stop believing we are a municipality inside a bubble and we can address this on our own.”
With issues such as illegal clearing of wetlands, code enforcement is key, he said. “Enforcement, enforcement, enforcement, it’s that simple. People will continue to do bad things if you do not stop them, if you don’t send a message the first time.”
The candidates were asked about what they would do to minimize the impact of invasive species and what they would do to educate the public about active management practices.
“We have to teach by example, making sure that we are good stewards of our land,” Rallis said.
Deer, Rallis said, are a detrimental invasive species. “We’re at a critical point now,” with deer posing public health and safety risks. While the town has recently hired an individual to focus on deer management, Rallis said it’s a good idea but “we have to be very careful we’re hiring the right people and listening to the experts.”
An audience question involved how the town’s land preservation committee is doing in Southold, and how candidates would improve the process.
“They’re doing a great job preserving farmland and open space but the Community Preservation Fund is more than preserving farmland and open space,” Rallis said, pointing to New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele’s suggestion of using 20 percent of CPF funding for water quality issues. “We need to start thinking outside the box,” he said. “To me community preservation means preserving more than just open space.”
Rallis said perhaps the revenue might be used for wetlands restoration, or for preserving some historic buildings.
Candidates were asked about banning single use plastic bags.
“Other towns have done it successfully. It’s the right thing to do,” Rallis said.
At the very least, Rallis said, petitions — those petitions have more than 1,000 signatures — have been brought before the board. “There are people who want this,” he said. “Let’s just create legislation to bring it to a public hearing and let the town board vote on it. If I’m elected, I’ll vote for it.”
The audience also raised questions about live music in Mattituck and asked the candidates if they’d consider revisiting the noise code.
Rallis said with many complaints and only 13 violations issued, “That is a problem.”
He said when he was trained in code enforcement to use a noise meter it didn’t help much because he worked 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Rallis’ ideas include possibly issuing cabaret licenses.
On the issues of Dark Skies compliance, Ralllis said he’s in support. But, he said, “We need to think about enforcing the existing codes in Southold.”
An audience member asked about litter and fines. Rallis said it’s difficult to carry through enforce the anti-litter law.
Rallis said public education is critical.
He suggested a trash committee or an Adopt A Road program, as well as recycle bins on the beach.
One resident asked about fines and if they might be increased.
“Why not start giving fines in the first place?” Rallis said. “It’s ridiculous to say you’ll look at the code and find ways to change it if you’re not enforcing it.”
Another resident said in other parts of the country, towns have jurisdiction over sanitary systems; in Southold, the county has that charge, he said.
Rallis said the town can require alternate systems and explore incentive and subsidies.
Another audience member asked if wood smoke from outdoor fires and fire pits should be regulated.
“It’s something we need to look at. I’m a North Fork boy; I’ve had a lot of bonfires on the beach. I don’t want to change our historic quality of life here but I don’t want things to get out of control.”
Rallis said he and his fellow candidates are running on a platform of sustainability. “I hope you vote for change,” he said. “We need to find a way to balance the protection of our environment with the needs of the business community, economy and our quality of life.”
Incumbent Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell, the GOP pick for the seat, began his section of the forum by focusing on what the town has achieved during his tenure.
A drainage code was passed in Southold Town to require property owners keep all water on site and keep it out of local waterways.
“We have a long way to go,” he said. A lot of road ends, created 50 years ago, still drain directly into water bodies.
But, he added, the town has made good progress. The last two years, he said, “two terrible winters” have caused significant road damage, an issue that needed the highway department’s attention.
In the 2016 budget, which Russell will put forth tomorrow, $250,000 is allocated for a capital project involving stormwater mitigation and flooding. The supervisor said he’d like to focus on some green infrastructure for road ends where there is not enough depth for a catch basin; biofilters of sand and vegetation can catch the runoff before it pours into the bays, he said.
“We’re trying to create solutions that are innovative, mostly out of necessity,” he said. The town is undertaking a project to reduce flooding and restore tidal flow to water bodies with an eye toward eradicating phragmites, which are “out of control,” he said.
In other areas, flooding presents a public safety hazard; work is ongoing, he said.
One new idea, Russell said, centers on meetings he’s had with other East End supervisors, to create the framework for a septic repair district that will help to develop oversight, develop definitions and identify solutions. The administrative body could possibly identify funding sources and oversee new nitrogen reduction systems as well as ensure regular inspections.
Russell said he’d like to create a water resource management committee.
He said Cornell Cooperative Extension’s agricultural environmental management plan has been in place for years to work with farmers on best practices and address pesticide and nitrogen fertilizer issues and has had great success. The East End, he said, should consider a consortium to fund the program.
When asked about what Russell would do to encourage participation among young adults and decrease the brain drain, Russell said he was responsible for reconvening the town’s youth bureau and has a “great working relationship with schools and teachers.”
Students have been involved in initiatives including a recycling brochure and an environmental club in the Greenport school district. Kids have been involved in “hands on” beach cleanups, he said.
One group produced a successful film on the restoration of Marion Lake.
Woth Special Projects Director Phillip Beltz retiring, Russell’s concerned the youth bureau could “languish or die.” The supervisor is proposing a part-time youth bureau director.
Russell said he supported the proposal for a peaker plant at the former landfill, stating that they do not run all the time and do not create the pollution a traditional electrical facility would.
“I don’t have a lot of ways to grow the tax base,” Russell said. “We have to be sensitive to the fact that tax revenue has to come from somewhere. It’s not my budget, it’s not my money, it’s yours, and if I can offset with increased assessment plus income from the lease, I’ll gladly revisit the issue.”
Russell added the town is in contract for 15 acres of photovoltaic array at the landfill.
As for Plum Island, he echoed what he’s long maintained, that jobs need to remain in place and zoning created by the town would facilitate a new research facility for alternative and renewable energy. “Plum Island has everything we want, it has the sun and perhaps, tidal energy,” he said.
Russell said the town pulled back a bit on wind power suggestions for Plum Island because of rare migratory bird routes.
When asked about steps to address coastal issues and protect marine ecosystems and shorelines, Russell said he’d like to create a coastal resiliency management plan.
“The septic issue is a big issue,” he said, adding that as it stands, most houses that exist are pre-existing non-conforming structures, built long before zoning and side and rear setbacks.
Now, a home that is demolished and rebuilt needs zoning board of appeals variances, he said; the supervisor said perhaps thinking needs to be revisited.
Perhaps a porch setback is not as critical as where a new sanitary system is sited, as far back as possible, he said.
When asked to rate the land preservation committee’s progress, Russell said the Community Preservation Fund has brought in a tremendous amount of money allowing the town to preserve at an unprecedented rate.
“We made that our priority and we may have let management plans languish. We need to step that up,” Russell said.
While he said the CPF program was a tremendous success, the problem was it let the state and county get “out of the preservation business,” he said. The county and state need to get more involved with the process, he said.
On the issue of plastic bags, Russell said his position has been made clear, much to the “chagrin” of some: “I don’t support a ban at this point.”
A countywide ban would level the playing field; Suffolk County, he said, is in a position to effect real change and has tools such the ability to impose a user tax.
The ban would put a “disproportionate burden on businesses already to stay open” with paper or compostable plastic bags costing up to nine times more.
Already, local businesses have narrow profit margins and are competing with stores to the west, he said.
On the issue of noise in Mattituck, Russell said he was one of those who drafted the noise code and there are a few “glitches,” such as special events being excluded.
One business in Mattituck has been hosting a series of special events but there is no code to bring them to comply, Russell said. “We need to close that loophole.”
In addition, Russell said he advocates putting noise meters in every police patrol car and training all officers in their use. Right now, they’re only in sergeants’ cars, he said.
“We get a lot of noise complaints. It’s a legitimate issue. But people might have false expectations of what a noise code can do. It tries to bring it to reasonable levels.”
However, calls have come in when the noise readings do not exceed the limit, he said. He said he’d be happy to revisit the issue and said enforcement is critical.
On the question of invasive species, Russell said he’s not sure it’s accurate to say the town is taking a “passive approach”; phragmites are hard to remove and it requires hand digging. The town has a “no spray” policy that needs to be revisited but Russell said he’s not comfortable with that.
The town has tried to partner with East Marion residents to eradicate phragmites from Marion Lake but said you “have to stay on it forever.”
A resident would like to organize a similar group for Great Pond, Russell said; creating a volunteer group is hard work because volunteers sometimes later have other commitments.
Russell has a Department of Public Works of eight or nine and said the town needs to partner with other groups to be effective. One option to remove just two acres of phragmites cost $200,000 to $300,000, “not a realistic option” he said.
The audience also asked Russell about woodsmoke. “I don’t think the problem is as far and wide” in town, he said. “I’d hate to start regulating people on using their property as they see fit, as long as it’s a contained fire with no risk to neighbors.”
Asked about trash, Russell said, “Litter is a huge problem,” but agreed the anti-littering law in town is difficult to enforce. DPW, though, is “excellent at maintaining litter. If you’re finding litter on town property, I think it hasn’t been there for that long.”
Raccoons and feral cats drag litter out of cans and onto beaches, he said, other beach goers leave trash behind.
“I don’t know how I regulate bad behavior, or manners. I wish I could,” he said, adding if a resident sees an area with litter, to bring it to his attention.
On the issue of septic systems, Russell said Suffolk County currently doesn’t allow any new alternate systems on residential properties; they are allowed in limited commercial sectors but not for projects such at the Heritage at Cutchogue, currently, he said.
“We can talk about all the other options that Suffolk County refuses to recognize and it boggles the mind,” Russell said.
That’s why creating administrative framework to give local authority to oversee and develop alternative systems on the East End is key, he said.
Discussing the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which is charged with taking water samples, Russell said their failure to do so has left whole areas of bays and creeks closed, some for 20 years. That’s why the town filed a lawsuit, he said.
But the bottom line, Russell said, is that other labs could be identified for testing and trustees could collect the water samples, in order to identify problems and allocate resources; currently, the DEC says only they can test the water, a “territorial” move, he said. “We need to look at other good, scientific resources to help us achieve our mission.”
While the town is mandated to uphold standards under the federal MS4 program, Russell said the state is not doing its part, making the town’s job more difficult. “It’s the DEC’s responsibility to get the water tested,” he said.
On Dark Skies, Russell said he strongly supports updating the code. “The technology has changed and the code needs to change with it.”
Russell said code enforcement is critical and the plan is to hire another full-time officer.
Deer, Russell said, are an “environmental crisis” devastating vegetation. He implored environmental groups, who have the “street cred” to help him convey how deer have ravaged Southold’s environment.
In his closing statement, Russell, said. “I have a record of 10 years of achieving the balance between the needs of the business community and the environment. I think we are getting there. I am proud of our record.”
