Politics & Government

Newly-Elected Legislator Talks Serota, Sewer Districts and Filling His Dad's Shoes

Development is needed, says Lindsay, but not retail development.

Bill Lindsay, a Sayville native whose father served as a Suffolk County Legislator for 12 years, is stepping into his Dad’s lawmaking role following his election to the 8th District on Election Day last week.

Patch caught up with Lindsay a few days after the victory and asked him a few questions about his first run for office, what he hopes to accomplish and where he stands on big issues facing his district constituency.

Patch:      Congratulations on the win. What do you attribute your successful bid to in this race?

Lindsay:  Thank you for reaching out. I am humbled by the immense support I have received throughout the course of my campaign. This was a hard fought race and I am so grateful that the people voted for me to be their representative in the 8th district. I am following in the footsteps of many great legislators that always fought for the best interest of the community and I plan to do the same.

I will be keeping the 8th district office in the same place that my father had it. Throughout the course of this campaign it was a pleasure to literally walk in the same shoes and knock on the same doors as my father did during his 12 years as legislator. Now, I will have the chance to sit in the same seat as he did, and I will try to emulate his care for this community in my work, while also carving a path of my own.

I attribute the success of my campaign to the hard work and dedication of the volunteers and community leaders throughout this district who advocated on my behalf. Being in the community as much as possible was a priority of mine since my father became an elected official because I knew that the success of a community relies on the participation of all residents to get involved and create the change that they want to see.

Also I know that without the caring, understanding, and support of my family I would not be where I am today. I pushed myself to run a race that would make them proud and it was truly a pleasure to see the joy on my children's faces as we watched the results come in on Tuesday night.

Patch:      What do you first plan to tackle as a legislator?

Lindsay: There are several projects that I am very excited to get a start on once I am seated. However, my first order of business will be to have a meeting with all the community groups, organizations, civics and chambers throughout the community to further gauge their ideas on economic growth and job growth within the community.

Getting the budget back on track will be a top priority of mine on day 1. I plan to advocate for a referendum that would merge the offices of the county treasurer and county comptroller which can save over $800,000 while also maintaining and improving the services that the county needs.

A couple other projects that I will be working on right away is the remediation of brownfield properties throughout the district in order to get them back on the tax rolls so that we as tax payers are no longer paying the delinquent bills of prior owners of the property. In dong so this would also promote the beautification of our community by cleaning up abandoned or run down businesses or homes. I would also like to pass legislation that connects our local colleges with private sector companies to create an apprenticeship program so that our college students have firsthand experience in the field they are studying. This will give the student a chance to learn and earn at the same time while also preparing for their future endeavors.


Patch:   You've stated during public speaking events you're not against the Serotta Islip Pines proposal,  a statement that concerns local business groups and residents. What is your vision of what that project should be?

Lindsay: First off, I would like to say that I am not anti-development, in fact, I believe that development is exactly what this community needs, but with that being said, we need to develop in a way that promotes our local downtowns and small businesses. Retail is not the type of development we need, but what would be beneficial is the influx of industries that bring good paying full time jobs.

Serota has the rights to develop on their property however they choose as long as it is zoned for that purpose, however when that development endangers the well-being of our community and local businesses, we have the right as community members to stand up and voice our concerns. My main concerns which have been voiced by many people in the community are the increase of traffic and the potential downfall of our local businesses. I am eager to sit down with the developers of the Serota/Islip Pines Project to see how we can create an open dialogue between their developers and the community so that we can have a project that does not take away from our local businesses but rather promotes them.

Patch:      What is your stance on the push to bring sewers into the south shore communities. Are you pro or anti sewer and do you see sewers as necessary to bringing more commercial tenants to the local area?

Lindsay: I am in favor of expanding sewers into the south shore communities and believe it is essential to do so.  The benefit of upgrading this archaic system would be two-fold allowing for additional expansion of commercial tenants as well as decreasing the pollution that currently occurs preceding heavy rains. 

Patch:     Are you resigning from your current full-time job  for the legislative job?

Lindsay: I am committed to putting in as much time as is necessary in order to meet and exceed all of my responsibilities as a legislator. This will also include spending time within the district attending community and civic events. I am not resigning from my current position however will move into a decreased role which will not consume as much time. The legislature will be my primary responsibility. 


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