Candidate Profile: Sarah Nappa 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.

Sarah Nappa, 38, of Southold, is running for a seat on the Southold Town Board. Also in the race for town board seats are Bill Ruland, (R), Jill Doherty (R) and Bob Hanlon (D).

Nappa, a Democrat, and her husband Anthony have two sons, Leo, 6, and Enzo, 3. She has a Bachelor of Science in Animal & Equine Science and has been a farmer, chef, and small business owner for 10 to 12 years.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Sarah Nappa below:

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

Nappa: The divisive culture that has been created in Town Hall. I have learned through out this process that one's true personality, who they are to their core, comes out in the way they govern. We see this in Southold Town. Groups in our community are being pitted against each other to divert the blame away from the administration. They are exclusionary and have consolidated our government. When I'm in office, I will invite the community to be part of THEIR government. I will reinstate the committees that have been disbanded. I will value the opinions and experiences of the people of our community and bring them in to solve the issues our community faces. I will treat everyone with respect, kindness, and empathy. There will be no more bullying, no more selective enforcement, no more targeted retribution. When I’m on the town council I will bring back a culture of civility and respect and make it possible for any member of our community to express their policy opinions openly, and without fear, because that is a small-town democracy. And you will see better results. A community that feels that Town Hall is on their side and has their best interests at heart. Elected officials that listen, respectfully and with empathy to its citizens. A government that sees its economy thrive. Environment protected and looked after. And a viable future for our kids after us. The time is now. Make the choice to make this government work for you and I will represent the future of our community.

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

N: The issues facing Southold Town are non-partisan issues. We all agree on what the issues are; affordable housing, preserving the environment, water quality, etc. It's the approach to those issues and the importance of each issue that makes us different. This administration operates a top-down, status quo government. They are complacent. I have a fresh vision, new perspective, and I am not complacent.

P: If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community?

N: The incumbent council members have failed our community with their inaction to the issues that we face until it's a crisis. Steps have not been taken to ensure farming passes to the next generation. Small businesses have not been supported to ensure their economic viability in Southold Town. Our young families have not been promoted and we have seen a decline in school enrollments. Deer management has not been addressed and now we are seeing record number of tick borne illness in our community. Traffic infrastructure was not planned for and now our residents can't leave their neighborhoods on the weekends. Our economy, environment, and community are feeling the effects of stale government. We are being led on a path with no vision. I have a plan and a vision and I will preserve our future.

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

N: The character of this community is made up of the people and the places IN this community, the businesses and farms of this community. Those people need to be represented by Town Hall. We must continue to preserve as much farmland as we can but we must preserve the farmer, not just the farm. We need to streamline the processes to opening a small business or starting a small farm in this town so that we aren't paving the way for corporate business and corporate farms where family owned used to be. We must solve the housing crisis by expanding accessory apartments and re-purposing existing buildings. We must enact laws to preserve our environment and protect our precious single-source aquifir. Our government needs to be working for those people and places of Southold Town, but first and foremost we need to bring back civility to Town Hall.

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

N: I have expertise, first-hand knowledge, and understanding that I bring to the table in the some of the major industries of our area. Expertise that is currently lacking in our town government. I will give a fresh look and new perspective to accomplishing much for our future.

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

N: "When they go low, we go high."

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

N: I studied Animal & Equine Science with an Ag Business focus at Colorado State University. After graduating I spent four years teaching English abroad. When I moved back to the states, I decided to change careers and went to culinary school. I then moved back to the North Fork full time and worked as a chef in several restaurants. My husband and I started our own small-business in 2007 and a few years later grew that business into having a retail space, which has now been open for almost 10 years. We have been farming at our home for 4 years. We practice regenerative agriculture, permaculture, and are working to be as self-sustaining as possible. Our main goal is to leave our land better than when we found it and to teach our community where their food comes from.