Get to Know New Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski Jr.

Many may know Al Krupski Jr. from his lifetime of farming in Southold. Still others may know him from his years of government service. Krupski, who is in his first term as supervisor of the Town of Southold, says his background in agriculture and lifetime in Southold are vital to his ability to do his job successfully.

“I was first elected as a trustee in 1985 and was one for 20 years,” says Krupski, who has three children and eight grandchildren with wife Mary. In 2013, he was elected to the Suffolk Legislature and was there for 11 years. “I did have a good idea of the role and its responsibilities. I grew up here, raised our children here and want our grandchildren to have the same quality of life that we did.”

He is just as conscious of preserving that quality of life for the various constituent groups in the Town of Southold, which includes Cutchogue, Peconic, Greenport, East Marion, Orient, Laurel, Mattituck, New Suffolk, Southold and Fishers Island .

“Southold is very much in the spotlight,” Krupski says. “We are a destination. We have to thank the wineries for part of that. They have been good neighbors.”

Krupski says that in addition to the wineries, the farmers and those in aquaculture have also been good neighbors and have done their part to make Southold a place where visitors want to stop and stay awhile.

“We’ve spent time, effort and money on our water quality,” Krupski says. “You can fish or clam in our creeks, the bay and waterways. We have oyster farms, and they need clean water. When someone sits down to enjoy a plate of oysters, they may not know that those have been grown right here in Southold.”

He also says that those water quality efforts also mean that the beaches are open all summer for residents and visitors alike to enjoy.

Southold also is committed to land preservation and maintaining the rural character for which it’s known.

“If there is a hard part, a challenge of my job, it is balancing all the aspects of Southold,” Krupski says. “When we’re planning for future development, we have to consider how it will affect all the various groups. You also have to take into consideration the effect on water quality, on traffic and on the farms, as well as other aspects. You have to manage growth, not just have growth for growth’s sake.”

Because Southold is such a unique community, Krupski and others in government must think long term before setting plans into motion. The current focus is on zoning updates and improving cell service.

“For example, there are a lot of infrastructure challenges whenever you want to make a change,” says Krupski, who still gets up and farms each day. “You have to ask yourself, ‘Is it affordable?’ We are looking at how to construct workforce housing. Building more housing isn’t the answer if it isn’t affordable. Businesses need workers and workers need housing. Those are some of the things that keep me up at night.”

Krupski, an early riser, can be found in his greenhouse or performing other agriculture-related tasks before coming into the office. He says keeping his hands in the soil helps him to remember all the people who are depending on the decisions government is making and that they affect everyone, not just the primary individuals and businesses involved.

Although he has cut back, Krupski and Mary still put in crops and man their farm stand on Route 25 in Peconic.

“It gives me perspective when we are making decisions,” Krupski says of continuing to farm. “Having people in government who are involved in agriculture, boating, aquaculture and other types of business gives us insight into these industries as we make our decisions.”

While he has a lot of challenges, Krupski’s day isn’t all work. During the summer months, after he has finished at Town Hall and also at the farm stand, he and Mary often go down to one of the many area beaches and take a swim to cool off.

“We may not make a day of the experience, but we do try to go to different beaches or walking paths,” Krupski says of his favorite way to wind down from a long day. It also helps him to see Southold from the perspective of visitors. “I would encourage visitors to do the same. Stop, pick up a sandwich and visit one of our beaches. Or, spend the evening and visit Custer Institute. Another great place is Cutchogue Village Green, which has old houses, a library and the Historical Society.”

While Southold is hardly a hidden gem, it has many areas worth exploring. Every one of the villages is different, and that includes the Town of Southold, which retains its close community feel where visitors can still see locals waving at each other as they drive by.

Todd Shapiro is an award-winning publicist and associate publisher of Dan’s Papers.