Why I Am Running

A life on the water is something I’ve always wanted. As a trustee with a background in marine engineering, I can help us better manage the bays and creeks of the North Fork, assuring that it remains a special place for us and future generations.

My great-grandparents began coming to the North Fork shortly after the end of World War II. One of the greatest days of my life was when my parents told me we’d be moving to Laurel. I was 10 years old and have never looked back.

At Mattituck High School, where I was named an All-State baseball player and played on a county-champ team, I worked with a teacher and another student to build a remote-controlled submarine. We used it to record the activity of underwater marine life in the creeks of Peconic Bay. At the time, I had no idea activities such as these were preparing me for a maritime career.

I attended Stevens Institute of Technology on the banks of the Hudson River. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and then a Master’s Degree in Maritime Systems. My studies have included: hydrodynamics, naval architecture, environmental, and ocean engineering.

After college, I attended commercial dive school and became a licensed engineer.  Early in my career I contributed to several notable projects including helping to design the underwater security systems at Ferry Terminals in New York Harbor, new container ship terminals in the middle east, and shipyards in South America. My work as an engineer diver in the waters around New York City was featured in The New York Times [June 15, 2018].

Working as a marine engineer has literally taken me around the world examining maritime systems and finding better ways to combat sea-level rise, make shipping safer and more efficient, improve security and most of all, help improve the quality of waterways large and small and the lives of those who live near them. For the past five years, I’ve served as the Town Engineer on Shelter Island, using what I’ve learned to help that seaside community in such areas as climate resilience and resource management.

As a teenager, I worked on local farms. That experience, plus my love of the water, encouraged me to also become a farmer and launch the Hampton Oyster Co with my brother in 2015. Raising oysters has not only provided the local community with a new cash crop but it also creates jobs and helps keep the bays clean. We grow our oysters sustainably. One oyster cleans about 50 gallons of water per day. It has been very gratifying to see this local industry grow.

Water is a special resource. As a trustee, a key goal would be to help bring our community together by using science-backed approaches to solve the environmental challenges we face.

My wife Bess and I love our Southold home. Bess in fact, is a descendant of some of Southold’s earliest settlers. We have three children: Joseph H. (4), Caroline (2) and Benjamin who arrived in the spring of 2025.

I’ve been lucky to enjoy a life on the water. As a trustee,
I can help keep it that way for future generations.