Candidate Profile: Captain Andy Brosnan For Southampton Trustee

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.

Captain Andrew Brosnan, 55, of Hampton Bays, is a Democrat seeking election as a Southampton Town Trustee. His opponents include Bill Pell, Ann Welker, David Mayer, Eric Shultz, Thea Fry, Megan Heckman, Scott Horowitz, Donald Law, Edward Warner, Jr., and Frederick Havemeyer.

He and his wife Alejandra Munizaga have a son, Jack Brosnan, 22, and a daughter, Nicole Brosnan, 25. He has a Bachelor of Arts International Relations from Florida International University, a Masters of Public Administration from Florida State University, and a United States Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain License. He is a research vessel captain for SUNY Stonybrook Southampton.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Capt. Andy Brosnan below.

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

Brosnan: Water quality in our bays and ocean.

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

B: As a research vessel captain, I have in-depth understanding and scientific knowledge of the water quality in our area of eastern Long Island. In addition, I had a 20 year career in city and county governmental administration, including head of child support enforcement and assistant director of the Office of the Aging in Rockland County, NY. As a result, I will bring a unique skill set of government operation and water quality solutions to the Board of Trustees.

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

B: I believe there needs to be greater transparency and community involvement in all proposed projects, land transfers and decisions handled by the Board of Trustees.

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

B: In addition to water quality, two other issues that are central to my platform are the health of our bays and sustainable marine harvesting. The health of our bays depends upon a balanced ecosystem. Toxic algae blooms, lack of natural predators, rising sea levels, invasive plant species along our coast — all phenomena caused by humans — have caused the natural cycle of our bays to become imbalanced. This imbalance causes a negative impact on our coastal community and economy. I propose to work with nature, rather than against it, to get our natural cycle back to an appropriate balance. The goal of sustainable marine harvesting is to work with nature to replenish the bays with shellfish and finfish. This can be accomplished with assistance of hatcheries, breeder sanctuaries and appropriate regulations. This will help ensure that current and future generations of baymen have adequate resources.

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

B: For the past four years I served as chairman of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of Surfrider Foundation. During my tenure we were successful in lobbying for the prohibition of plastic straws, polystyrene containers and the intentional release of helium balloons in East Hampton, Southampton and soon all of Suffolk County. We also organized countless beach cleanups, which removed thousands of pounds of trash from our beaches.

As head of child support enforcement in Rockland County, I supervised a staff of 30. I prepared, monitored and adhered to a strict budget while expanding the effectiveness, efficiency and total collections of the department. I worked with other departments and the family courts to improve the entire child support collection process. I implemented training for all of my staff to better understand the child support process from intake to collection.

Ten years ago, I obtained my U.S. Coast Guard 100 ton Master Captain License and I currently work as a captain for SUNY Stony Brook Southampton - School Of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. I spend an average of 150 to 200 days a year on local bays and the ocean. Working at SUNY Stony Brook has allowed me to work alongside renowned marine scientists. This has given me the opportunity to learn, contribute and gain a wealth of knowledge about what affects local water quality and what needs to be done to improve it.

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

B: My father always told me to be sure how deep the water is before you dive in. I have always followed that advice literally and metaphorically.

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

B: You can find additional information about my platform, background and life on my website.