Trish Bergin for Suffolk Legislative District 10
Republican Legis. Trish Bergin, of East Islip, is running for reelection in Suffolk County Legislature District 10. Credit: James Escher
Find out the candidates Newsday's editorial board selected on your ballot: newsday.com/endorsements2025
The 10th District covers the central part of Islip Town from Great River and East Islip north to Islandia, Ronkonkoma and parts of Hauppauge.
Seeking her third term, Trish Bergin has built a strong legislative record. She is focused on countywide finances, aquifer protection and oversight of Suffolk’s child protective services.
Bergin, 54, a Republican from East lslip, recognizes the hidden problem of sex trafficking in the county and has facilitated the policy of having a social worker embedded with the police unit investigating these cases. She thinks the county IDA needs new members who will stop tax breaks to developers that she says are walking away with “buckets of money.”
Her Democratic challenger, Leigh-Ann M. Barde, 40, of Central Islip, is running a spirited campaign focused on affordability and housing, saying county taxes on utility bills and food should be lowered. She would work to have underused county-owned land repurposed to build workforce housing. Barde brings a compassionate voice to the table and she should continue to use it, but Bergin has the experience.
Newsday Opinion endorses Bergin.
ENDORSEMENTS ARE DETERMINED solely by the Newsday editorial board, a team of opinion journalists focused on issues of public policy and governance. Newsday’s news division has no role in this process.
