FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, May 21, 2015
Southampton, New York:
At the nominating convention of the Suffolk County Democratic Committee in Hauppauge last evening, Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming of Noyac accepted the Committee’s nomination to run in the November general election for the Suffolk County Legislature’s Second Legislative District, a district of 58,151 registered voters, comprising the South Fork from Moriches to Montauk, and Shelter Island.
Ms. Fleming, a Democrat, has served as Town Councilwoman in Southampton since March 2010, and has taken leadership roles in adoption of ethical governance policies, clean water and strong fiscal leadership. During her tenure, Southampton’s bond rating has risen to among the highest in Suffolk County at AAA.
“I welcome the prospect of building on the great progress we’ve made over the past five years, working with the community and others in government on the many issues that are critical to this area,” said Fleming.
“Smart fiscal policy, defense of our environmental resources, and strong ethical reform in government have been key to protecting our community, and on the County government level, I believe I can extend this important work and make a positive impact in the county post,” Fleming said.
When Bridget Fleming joined the Southampton Town Council in 2010, she dedicated her time and attention to three areas she considers critical to the East End: keeping government accountable, providing economic opportunity, and protecting our natural and cultural resources. Initially, she helped bring Southampton out of deficit and restored its damaged credit rating, thus re-establishing the government’s fiscal accountability. She went on to promote economic opportunity via youth training in sustainable building trades and fresh food retailing, intitiatives to retain good local jobs, and supporting local volunteer emergency services workers with health insurance options.
As a champion of the East End’s cherished natural environment, Bridget spearheaded the passage of Southampton’s first law to require that fill on construction sites be toxin-free, and led the effort on a long overdue revision to the Town’s waste management code. She has spearheaded a comprehensive program to protect the Town’s coastal resources, and cast the deciding vote on the appointment of Southampton’s first full-time Sustainability Coordinator. Recently she has been a voice, sometimes the lone voice, for a meaningful approach to development by close scrutiny of all proposed projects.
Ms. Fleming serves as liaison between the Town Council and its advisory committees on agriculture, ethics, sustainability, local waterfronts, waste management, and the Community Preservation Fund, among others.
A graduate of Hunter College and the University of Virginia Law School (1991), Bridget Fleming was a prosecutor in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, where she served as a trial attorney, a member of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit, and Chief of a Unit attacking fraud in public programs. In 2001, she moved to Noyac, where she lives with her husband Bob, a local contractor, and 12 year-old son Jai, who attends public school in Sag Harbor. Her law practice in Sag Harbor focuses principally on matrimonial and family law.
“There’s still work to be done for our local community,” Ms. Fleming says, “but the platform of County government will enable me to accomplish more over a wider horizon. So many of our challenges, like water quality, transportation and energy issues, and an economy that meets the needs of the local community, require regional approaches and coordination among multiple towns. If elected, I will welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues county-wide to meet those challenges.”