Candidate Profile: Alexis Weik

Alexis Weik has a reputation around her Sayville neighborhood as someone in the political know. Friends stop by on their way to the polls to ask who to vote for or how to get a pesky pothole fixed. 

"People know that I understand the government," she said. "They know I can help them."

It's an expertise that Weik has cultivated for a long time. Weik joined the East End Republican Club at 21, and has held almost every job within the organization. She's helped organize events, coordinated meetings and run campaigns for county legislators.

But this year, Weik is taking on a new role - as candidate. The longtime Sayville resident is running for Receiver of Taxes on the Republican ticket. She will square off against Democrat Diane Rossi-Fontana of West Islip on the ballot in November.

Weik made the jump from politics to government last year when she was recruited by Reciever of Taxes Virginia E. Allen to join the office as Allen's deputy.

She came on board unsure of whether she'd even want the job. But quickly, she fell in love with the office and the work.

"We're not policy makers," she said. "We provide a service, and I like that we can make people's lives easier."

Weik said one of her primary roles is problem solver. Her office gets calls from people who want to reassess their home value and families who are in crisis and can't afford to pay.

Her office can't lower taxes, but it can point people to resources that might help them.

If she's elected, Weik hopes to continue that tradition. Already, she has led an effort to allow people to pay their tax bills online. The system will be up and running by next year.

She also pledged to put a drop box in the office around tax day so that people can drop off their payments without waiting on a line. And she'd like to incentivize paying taxes early by offering some kind of prize. 

"I'm always thinking, 'how can I help this person,'" she said. "That's what I like about the job." 

But for now, office work is only one of her priorities. She comes home from work and heads out to events, or to walk door-to-door with her children (attendees of Sayville High School, Sayville Middle School and Sunrise Drive) or husband.

"My life is crazy right now," she said. "But I enjoy what I do."