Two Republican incumbents and two Democratic challengers are running for two seats on the Southold Town Board of Trustees — a government entity that oversees the protection and management of local wetlands and waterways.

A North Fork resident since 1968, incumbent Trustee James King is a lifelong lobsterman, having worked the waters out of the Mattituck Inlet for 48 years. He says he’s not a politician and is uncomfortable making speeches, but he genuinely enjoys the work because of his concern for the marine environment. He said correcting mistakes made in the past takes time, but it is essential to improve the quality of the water in Southold Town.

Democratic challenger Lynn Summers describes herself as a "people helper" with a lifelong love of the local environment. A Mattituck resident since 1970, Summers has worked in education for several local school districts and spent 13 months in 2002 and 2003 to save Wolf Pit Lake in Mattituck from potential stagnation. If elected as trustee, Summers said she will see to it that people will be able to walk the beaches of the North Fork without worry of restrictive fences. She will advocate that certain types of fertilizer should be restricted because of harmful chemicals that can wash into the water.

Greenport resident Bob Ghosio is a Republican incumbent running for re-election who says he wants to continue to help protect the environment while protecting the rights of the property owner as trustee. A longtime employee of Burt's Reliable in Southold, he said he believes anyone who owns property on the water has the responsibility to meet the codes for land use. Ghosio said he sees himself more as a conservationist than a preservationist — the distinction being that a conservationist view reflects his belief in the responsible use of resources  and a preservationist believes in preserving resources at all costs.

Laurel resident Steve Brautigam is currently the Village Administrator of Ocean Beach on Fire Island and has over two decades of experience in municipal government under his belt. He is running for trustee on the Democratic ticket and has worked over the years in Greenport as overseer of the finances of the buildings at Mitchell Park, handling over $10 million in grants. He has years of experience interpreting SEQRA (state environmental) reviews for municipal projects and has organized $2 million in grants for storm water runoff prevention for Southampton Town. He said he believes that some of what he’s learned working with Fire Island's shoreline can be applied to Southold Town — especially such badly eroded zones as Bailie Beach in Mattituck and Hashamomuck Cove in Southold, and that working diplomatically with the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and other state and federal agencies is key to shoreline management.