Election 2011: Janet Beck, Southampton Trustee Candidate

Janet A. Beck, 69, of Westhampton, says she is looking to bring a woman's perspective to the Southampton Trustees. Beck, who is a Democrat, is a graduate of Adelphi University, holding a Bachelor of Science degree. She also holds a Masters of Science degree from Bank Street College.

Beck is a school administrator, who serves on the central board of education and alternative high school superintendency. She is a member of CAC-West, the Southampton Civic Coalition, the Westhampton Chamber of Commerce, the Southampton Transportation Board and the Long Island East Ski Club.

Beck is also a member of the Group for the East End and Peconic Baykeeper and has volunteered for the Westhampton Rotary Club and Maureen's Haven.

Beck in her own words:

I'm Janet Beck, candidate for Southampton Town Trustee on the Democratic line. I am the only woman candidate running this year. In the 326-year history of the Southampton Trustees a woman has never been elected to this office. I believe my professional and managerial experiences offer an approach to problem solving and long-term planning that is missing and would be an asset to the Trustees.

For fifty years my family has had a summer cottage on Moriches Bay. I regularly fished, clammed, scalloped in those waters. I watched the changes that slowly diminished the quality of our bays as the eel grass begin to disappear and our town waters deteriorated.

Ocean beach access, and use of our waters, lakes and ponds is a right for all our residents and visitors. It is a right protected by the Trustees and the Dongan Patent. Our waters and beaches play a major part in attracting seasonal visitors and the estimated cumulative annual financial impact to the South Fork is about 1/4 billion dollars.

Major issues that we face include road runoff, use of fertilizers and the cumulative effect of thousands of septic systems are a few of the upland issues which must be handled by greater collaboration with the Town Board.

I am disturbed by the lack of public awareness and education both about Trustee jobs and our resources. Our Trustees' responsibility should be to plan for the future and educate the public. I want to change public perceptions.

The assets the Trustees control belong to us all. I would come to the trustee position to focus on planning for the future, not just focusing on and solving the immediate problems at hand.

I ask for your vote on Nov.8 to become the first woman Trustee in Southampton Town.