If elected to the Southold Town Board, I would become a police commissioner. We have our own police district. I would prefer to see one paid police commissioner who comes from law enforcement, and understands and would embrace community policing. This person would be accountable for the PD.

Currently there is little support for this due to budgetary issues - we are a small community compared to most Suffolk County towns with a population of roughly 27,000.

In the past, because there are six police commissioners comprised of the town supervisor and five town board members, most of the interaction was between the police chief and the supervisor. I would take a more active role and advocate for monthly meetings with the chief with data updates about stops, arrests and incidents. I would advocate for better training, and more mental health support for police. I would also advocate for a diverse citizens advisory board. We also need to do a better job of creating a more diverse police force.

As a Town Board member, regardless of race, I think it is important to listen to the Black community about your concerns and understand them, and just like any group of people, people within the Black community, will have differing concerns and issues.

In my opinion, one of the biggest economic injustices is the inequity of healthcare delivery. I advocated for the passage of the Affordable Care Act, but when that fell far below expectations, I became an advocate for improved Medicare for All - premiums would be based on income. I believe good heath care is a human right, and if we don’t adopt a single-payer system (which is not socialized medicine- heath care providers wouldn’t be employed by the government, but would be the single-payer) health care will become increasingly inequitable as costs continue to soar. Maintaining one’s best heath is the basis of a good quality of life.

Our town has become increasingly gentrified and many people have been shut out of even renting a home in Southold. Greenport, which traditionally had a robust Black population, has changed dramatically over the last decade with the increase of short-term rentals, decimating the housing stock. Some families took advantage of selling there homes in a good market and relocated, but others were displaced when investors came to town. Providing at least some measure of opportunity for affordable housing is so important, and l believe a diverse community is a healthier community, in terms of race, religion, sexual identity, and income levels.