Robin L. Long, Councilman, Town of Southampton

ROBIN L. LONG

Democratic

BACKGROUND:

• Long, 68, lives in Hampton Bays. She is a real estate attorney with a practice in Southampton Village.

• She has served on the town planning board since 2016. From 2012 to 2015 she served on the Suffolk County Board of Ethics.

• She has a bachelor’s degree in political science from York College and a law degree from St. John’s University.

ISSUES:

• Long said Southampton is at a crossroads, after many moved there from New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. The town is becoming a full-time community and long-term infrastructure and other planning needs to be examined, she said.

• She said attitudes about affordable housing have to change, in part due to the town no longer being just a second-home community. She said there needs to be more balance between development, community and protecting the environment, and people can’t be afraid of density. She said the town should look toward other states where commercial areas are being rehabilitated with apartments on the second floor.

• She said she would like to get builders and those looking to preserve and protect the environment to work together rather than being adversaries.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.