Candidate Profile: John Bouvier For Southampton Town Board

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls soon 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.

John Bouvier, 64, of Westhampton, is an incumbent Democrat seeking re-election as a Southampton Town Councilman. His opponents include Democrat Craig Catalanotto, Republican Richard Martel, Republican Charles McArdle, and Hannah Pell, running on the Independence line.

Bouvier said he is happily married with two grown children. He has a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), and a B.C. in Business Administration. He is an engineer/business owner with 40+ years experience. A current Southampton Town Councilman, he also serves on the Suffolk County Super Storm Sandy Task Force, as an appointed member and on the Suffolk County Community Choice Aggregation Task Force (CCA) as an appointed member. He previously served as a Southampton Town Conservation Board Member.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with John Bouvier below.

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

Bouvier: Water Quality. As councilman, I established a Water Quality Board to review and fund water quality infrastructure projects, and established a residential septic system replacement plan for new Innovative and Alternative (I/A) septic systems to reduce nitrates entering the aquifer including a town-wide rebate program to offset residents' costs of installation. We have invested millions of dollars in water management infrastructure to prevent runoff of nutrients contributing to algal blooms while connecting residents affected by emergent chemical pollution in drinking water wells to county water. We have invested in technical upgrades, increased testing and maintenance within our town water districts. Southampton Town is faced the effects of groundwater contaminants and the effects of surface runoff that contributes to the degradation of our waterways and our eco systems. We have implemented protective policies and practices and finding ways to increase bay seawater exchange to increase oxygen, lower temperatures and increase flushing of our bays and estuaries. I established the Tiana Bayside Marine Education Center and implemented sustainable policies to combat climate change and sea level rise, while working with government at all levels to protect and restore our local environments.

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

B: I have a very broad technical background and experience in both the public and private sectors. My professional experience includes high-tech program management that gives me a strong advantage in budgeting and staff management and handling technical projects. This experience sets me apart from other candidates and gives me the ability to make informed decisions regarding the increasingly technical areas of water quality, energy and sustainability.

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

B: There is a clear link between affordable workforce housing and traffic, and our aging demographic. We created a new town community development department to begin to meet our housing needs and have added affordable rentals both as local housing and an accessory apartment law that allows apartment conversion in areas with lower density. Additionally, we have added a commuter hub, with state support, to add more trains going both east and west with additional stops. These efforts and others are designed to retain our younger residents, create local jobs and house workers such as nurses, health care service workers, teachers and others.

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

B: I currently serve on the Southampton Town Council and am seeking a second term to continue my work on water quality and energy initiatives throughout the Town of Southampton, among others. Previously, I served on the Southampton Town Conservation Board and have been active in my community, particularly working with young students in STEM and served as an engineering mentor with the FIRST Robotics national program. I am an engineer by profession and hold a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. My professional experience includes working for the Grumman Aerospace Flight Test facility at the Naval Weapons Laboratory in Calverton. I was lead robotics engineer under contract to the NASA Agency for the Grumman Space Station Division. I joined Oceaneering International, a world leader in specialized deep water operations as general manager for their new division, Oceaneering Space Systems, managing an annual operating budget of approximately $25 million and 30 professional employees. I have a background in submersible and deep sea programs in both the private and public sectors. I was the principal robotics engineer for the Mobile Servicing System. I believe that my technical background allows me to inform our town board about technical details regarding technical fields including water quality, energy and sustainability.

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

B: "Know what you don’t know."

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

B: My legislative assignments include community development, parks and recreation capital programs, the Anti-Bias Task Force, the Affirmative Action Task Force, the Landmarks Board, the Conservation Board, Solid Waste and Recycling Committee and Architectural Review Board. Additionally, I sit on the Suffolk County Super Storm Sandy Task Force, Suffolk County Community Choice Aggregation Task Force (CCA), the Suffolk County Aquaculture 10 Year Lease Committee and the Peconic Estuary Program Management Committee.