East End knowledge drives County Legislator Stark’s reelection campaign

Suffolk County Legislator Catherine Stark’s familial roots that run deep on the East End, and so does her history working in county government.

Ms. Stark is a lifelong Riverhead resident and a fifth-generation North Fork native. Her great-great-grandfather, John C. Stark, came to Southold in 1840 and lived there until the 1860s, when he started a farm in Baiting Hollow. Her late father, Jim Stark, was also a farmer and the 57th supervisor of the Town of Riverhead.

Now entering her 30th year working in Suffolk County government, Ms. Stark has cultivated a broad range of expertise and a Rolodex of contacts. Her experience has included crafting policy, lobbying for legislation and working closely with local mayors, trustees, supervisors, council members and commissioners.

She began working for the Suffolk County Legislature in 1996 — first for the clerk of the Legislature, then for the Department of Real Property Tax Services and ultimately for former Suffolk County executive Bob Gaffney. Before being elected Suffolk County legislator for the 1st District in 2023, she served for a decade as a legislative aide to Al Krupski for a decade.

Her appreciation for the farming industry and experience with intergovernmental relations are both drivers in her decision-making on preservation efforts, she said.

One of her proudest accomplishments in her first term as a Suffolk County legislator was spearheading a first-of-its-kind initiative in New York State, the “working waterfront” bill, which was modeled after the landmark farmland preservation bill.

Next is forming the working waterfront committee, which Ms Stark said will be composed of offshore fishers, baymen, marina owners or operators, and others within the maritime industry.

“It worked very well with [Suffolk County Legislator] Ann Welker from the South Fork,” Ms. Stark said. “We worked together on it, with my knowledge of the farmland program and her knowledge of the waterfront, having been a trustee in Southampton, it was a perfect match.”

If reelected to another term, Ms. Stark wants to update the farmland program and address the need for year-round, on-site farm worker housing. Additionally, Ms. Stark said she’d like to see dilapidated homes rehabbed into affordable housing and possibly the county offering down payment assistance or favorable loan interest as an incentive.

In her past work with Mr. Krupski, currently the Southold Town supervisor, she said affordable housing units set aside for individuals with disabilities or veterans need to be in perpetuity.

“Each town needs affordable housing to keep their young people here, to keep their workforce,” she said.

Ms. Stark also discussed the need for Innovative/Alternative (I/A) septic systems due to the lack of sewers on the East End. These new systems are designed to reduce wastewater nitrogen pollution from reaching groundwater.

With costs between $40,000 and $60,000, depending on location, home size and other factors, there are county and state grants available to help offset those expenses.

Ms. Stark said she encourages people to put in their grant applications early, as the line for funding to install the systems is just going to get longer.

“Upgrading the traditional cesspools or septic systems to the new, innovative alternative [system] is really important, and with the increase in the sales tax, and that funding being directed for infrastructure, part of that will be added to not just the East End, but all of Suffolk County,” Ms. Stark said.

With regard to securing funding for local nonprofits, Ms. Stark looks at what monies are available and tries her best to “spread the wealth” where she can.

“I’m looking to increase some funding to CAST this year, such an amazing program,” she said. “There’s always somebody that needs money, so I like to be even, but there are some that deserve more, like CAST and The Butterfly Effect Project, because they do so much.”