Robert E. Hanlon

DEMOCRATIC

Hanlon, 72, of Orient, is running on the Democratic line in his first bid for office. A civic leader with the Orient Association, he is a retired educator and lawyer.

ISSUES:

• Housing is key, Hanlon said. "We need homes for people who work here, and for the next generation. Businesses in town have trouble keeping staff because of the drive to get here."
• Maintaining the quality of the town's water supply, he said. Homes in Southold are on septic systems and cesspools, and nitrate-loaded wastewater is leaking into the bay and the Sound. He said it's time to mandate sewage system upgrades for new construction and find money to subsidize it.
• The town needs to address housing scale, he said. Large home sizes can change the character of a neighborhood, and they're often built to serve as rentals, he said.