Candidate Profile: Jill Doherty For Southold Town Board

SOUTHOLD, NY —Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls next month to elect local representatives.

The race is on in local town and village races leading up to Election Day, which, this year, falls on Tuesday, November 5. Patch asked those running for office to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles in the days leading up to the election.

Incumbent Jill Doherty, 54, of New Suffolk, is running for a seat on the Southold Town Board. Also in the race for town board seats are Bill Ruland, (R), Bob Hanlon (D), and Sarah Nappa (D).

Doherty, a Republican, has two children, Sarah, 25, and Brian, 22. She studied bookkeeping and accounting in college and has been a bookkeeper for 30 years; she started working in restaurants when she was 14, bussing, waitressing and eventually bartending; and she worked in a clerical/banker combined position for 22 years. She served on the Southold Board of Trustees for 1.5 terms as past vice president and past president and has served for two terms on the Southold town board.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Jill Doherty below:

Patch: The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Doherty: There is no one single issue. It’s not that simple. Everything we do affects the next thing. For example, if we create more workforce/ affordable housing you need to make sure the jobs are keeping them here, and that the infrastructure of the town is sustainable (roadways, etc). We have to be careful that we don’t flood one school district. If one area has a few good spots for new housing, it might not be a good idea to build too many at once because the school district would be over-burdened. Housing, traffic, economic growth, revising codes to keep up with changing global times while keeping Southold, Southold. It’s complex, but we are making strides with community input and committees filled with many experienced people with great insight.

P: What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

D: Experience. I worked as a clerk for the town for 12 years. During that time I learned the code, each department's function and how it relates to the other department, so I have that working knowledge of not only the history of the town but how things get accomplished. People who are looking in from the outside think, 'Why can’t they just do this or that?' There are town, state, county and federal regulations that we have to consider in our decision making. We might solve one issue by changing something but create another if we do not look at the entire picture. It takes that knowledge of knowing not only the regulations but forging the relationships along the way. Know who to contact to get the information you are seeking in order to get the job done.

P: Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

D: I want to continue working on water quality issues. I am the town board liaison to the storm water runoff team and shellfish advisory committee. Keeping our waters clean for recreation and business. Keeping our drinking water sustainable and clean is very important as we grow as a community.

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

D: In my combined 26 years in town government I have many accomplishments that I have been involved with. Working with others is very important in getting anything done. Patience and compromising are two things that are very important to bring to the job. Most recently with help from town employees, I have written the town rental law which concentrates on the safety of our residents and keeps that certain expectation that one would have when living in a neighborhood.

I have found ways to get things done while being fiscally responsible. It’s easy to say we can do better but doing better without raising taxes is the real accomplishment.

P: The best advice ever shared with me was ...

D: In the job, there are many pieces of advice that I have listened to. Two stand out: Don’t take things personally and keep your emotions out of it. That would go for any business you are in.

The advice my father has not only given us but has showed us in the way he lived is that you always have to live with yourself first. Meaning always do the right thing. It’s not always going to be easy but In the end you have to know you tried your hardest and you were fair.

P: What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

D: The position of town board member is not one to take lightly or to go into thinking in a tunnel. People are passionate about what they do in their lives and think they can just get elected and change things for the way they think it should be changed. I continue to work on the issues in a balanced, fair and fiscally responsible way to keep Southold, Southold for ALL the residents of Southold.