Catherine L. Stark for Suffolk Legislative District 1

The 1st District covers the area from Wading River and Manorville eastward to Orient Point and Fishers Island and parts of western Southampton Town.

Albert J. Krupski Jr. has served the 1st District for 11 years with distinction. Now that he is running for Southold Town supervisor, voters don't have to look far for someone who would offer a seamless transition.

Krupski's chief of staff for most of that tenure, Catherine L. Stark, is running to replace him. She has worked in Suffolk County government since 1996. She is fluent in every issue, knows the facts that fuel every debate, and understands well the unique terrain she would represent.

Stark, 60, a Riverhead Republican, prioritizes water quality and land preservation, issues of vital interest throughout the county. She wants to see more sewage treatment plants discharge their effluent onto land so water returns to and replenishes the aquifer. She advocates for a food waste program to increase composting and reduce the amount of garbage in the waste stream. She is a strong supporter of the police but departs from party dogma by saying that the legislature needs to exercise more oversight and should have a seat at the negotiating table during contract talks.

Stark notes some areas of disagreement with her boss — notably, the tabled proposal for a referendum on funding sewers and innovative septic systems. She applauds the goal but decries the method chosen to achieve it, arguing that the plan should never have been part of the governor's budget and that it was not clearly written. The legislature sorely needs a stickler for process. And she says she would have voted for a special counsel to investigate the county cyber hack.

Democrat Catherine A. Kent, 67, of Baiting Hollow, is a former Riverhead Town councilwoman and a retired elementary school teacher. She has the right instincts. She knows affordability is a top concern, supports the sewer/septic referendum, and emphasizes preserving open space, an issue of critical importance on the North Fork. She also wants to protect the aquifer by reorienting homeowners away from valuing lush green lawns and supports requiring developers to pay for clean water infrastructure.

But she's running against someone who not only shares her concerns but would be skilled at turning priorities into realities. Stark understands residents' affordability concerns and says she wants to make Long Island "a place to live, not leave." And she wants to make the legislature a less partisan body focused more on performance than politics. Suffolk needs her brand of moderate practicality.

Newsday endorses Stark.