Candidate Spotlight: Legislator Trish Bergin & Derek Stein

Q: What is your professional background and how does it equip you for the Legislature? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: I was a reporter and a television news anchor at several outlets including News 12 CBS, Inside Edition, Fox News Strategy Room, and Court TV. I put in about twenty years on television. In 2010, I was elected to the Islip Town Council and served there for twelve years before running for Suffolk County Legislature. 

Derek Stein: I started working at the County Legislature as an aide to Du Wayne Gregory (D) when he was Presiding Officer in 2018. I graduated from Stony Brook University with a bachelor’s in political science. I worked as a teacher’s aide at Middle Country School District and did sales for Long Island Ducks 

In 2018, I started doing background administrative work at Hauppauge, make sure the Legislature runs, the paperwork is done, and I even managed and oversaw a few task forces, including the Marine Industry Revitalization Advisory Council started by Gregory, the Anti-Bullying Task Force, and the Fair Housing Task Force. 

By 2019, I started working on briefings and made sure the public was able to get into the meetings, and then ensured the public and all Legislators could get on Zoom during COVID. In 2021, I began working for the Town of Babylon and managed the Direct Support Program. Most of the money went to a grant program designed to keep small businesses afloat during the pandemic; some businesses were eligible for up to $49,000. We gave out over $8 million and were able to keep a lot of these small businesses afloat. Babylon was the first to do that. I want to make that a recurring county program used from the hotel/motel tax. 

Recently, I’ve been a Legislative aide to Al Krupski (D-Cutchogue) since January, with deals mostly with constituent services. 

I work with a few community groups in Central Islip, such as Central Islip Historical Society and Central Islip Connect for Change  

Q: What would you say is your best or proudest professional accomplishment? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: My proudest accomplishment is working with the county to help trafficked girls. We have a serious problem with trafficked young girls in Suffolk County. Many of them, unfortunately, are coming from areas within the Tenth Legislative District. We were having a difficult time trying to figure out how to deal with the situation, so I was able to convince the county to fund a safehouse for these girls, many of whom are as young as twelve, thirteen, or fourteen. 

 We take them out of their dangerous situations, and we place them in an undisclosed location where there is a house mother. They go to school, they’re cared for, and we provide career mentoring. I frequently visit them as well. 

I’m proud of my fiscal responsibility, contributing to open and transparent governing, and holding the line on taxes as often as possible.  

Derek Stein: I’m proud of our accomplishments with the Fair Housing Task Force. In 2019, Newsday ran an exposé regarding issues of redlining and realtors who were basically acting against ethics codes. Specifically, a white person would go to a realtor and want to buy a home in Central Islip and the realtors would try to send them to Smithtown. The Task Force dealt with issues of redlining on one end but also racism on both sides because realtors were affecting anyone of any color. The Task Force pushed the state to do more. We worked with the Long Island Board of Realtors, Legislators Steve Flotteron (R-Bay Shore) and Legislator Sam Gonzalez (D-Brentwood), the Hispanic Bar Association, NAACP, local business groups, and a diverse group of folks. We were able to get the state to implement recommendations from Senator Kimberly Jean-Pierre (D-Wheatley Heights) and then-Senator Phil Boyle (R-Bay Shore)  

Q: What is your top priority if you win this election? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: There will hopefully be a change in the administration on the executive level, and I believe we will work hard with the next county executive to keep spending in check, secure public safety, and accomplish a clean water overhaul. 

Derek Stein: My top priority would be to reallocate money from the infrastructure fund to small business; the infrastructure fund is going to Midway Crossing. I’d also like to see clean water solutions for our district. I’d like to see our roads become safer and our communities more walkable. I’d also like to see a roundabout at the curve of Ocean and Rosevale Avenue in Ronkonkoma. 

Q: What is your stance on sewers and the bills that were downvoted by the Legislature in July? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: The bill was horribly flawed. It called for a majority of the money to be spent on Innovative and Alternative Wastewater (I/A) systems, and my stance is that’s not the solution. We need to split the money 50/50 between sewers and I/A systems. 

My district would absolutely benefit from sewers, while the wealthier East End would benefit from I/A systems. It’s not fair to spend a majority of the money on I/A systems and not spread the money so that it’s equitable for everyone. Until they change the language to make the spending 50/50 between sewers and I/A systems from the current 90/10 split, I can’t support the legislation. If they come back to the table and agree to spend 50/50, I would be more than happy to approve it. 

Democrats keep spinning it that the Republicans don’t want clean water. Who doesn’t want clean water? I’m not going to have my working-class residents funding I/A sewers for wealthy people in the Hamptons. 

Derek Stein” I think the ones that were just voted on with amended amounts, content-wise, are fine. The single wastewater district would equalize a lot of the payment, but it would also allow for easier expansion because of the process it’s going to place on the county. Sewers have been talked about for 50+ years in Suffolk County. The average cost of a sewer hookup is $136,000 for a single-family home, whereas the onsite wastewater treatment systems are generally lower at about $30-50k. 

I would absolutely support getting that on the ballot. It’s pretty weak that it wasn’t put on the ballot this November. The criticism is placed on the eighth-penny sales tax. Letting the voters decide instead of letting eighteen Legislators decide on a tax hike in any case is preferable. As Legislator, I would push to have that put on the ballot.  

Q: What do you think is the top political issue facing Suffolk? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: First and foremost, the economy. I would say honorable mentions are public safety, the migrant crisis, and clean water. 

Derek Stein: Affordability. For young people and seniors especially, it’s super hard to live on Long Island. I always think back to my high school graduation ten years ago and there’s maybe three or four people from my class who are still living in Central Islip. A bunch of them are doctors; they’re well-accomplished folks. We’re losing so many people to other areas just because of how expensive it is. The only development that’s going in Central Islip are apartment complexes and the cheapest unit is $3200/month for one bedroom studio rental. It’s not sustainable. We’re not getting what we paid for in terms of services.  

Q: What’s your favorite quote, motto, or work ethic? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: I have a great quote that I actually got from a fortune cookie. I’ve had the quote hanging in my office.  

The quote reads: “It doesn’t take much to be a success, it takes everything.” 

Derek Stein: Someone I’ve always looked up to is Charles Barkley. His literal quote is: “Just because I dunk a basketball doesn’t mean I should raise your kids.” Moreover, it means: “I just do what I need to do, I’m not here to be a role model.” 

Q: How do you like to connect with and enjoy your district? 

Legislator Trish Bergin: I’m a single mother of four children, I’m a daughter of Irish immigrants, and I’ve spent my whole life living in the Tenth Legislative District. I do like to spend time in Ireland with my family.  

Being on the water on Long Island is a big part of my family’s recreational activity. Fire Island is a favorite spot for us, and every restaurant on Main Street from Islip to Bay Shore, there’s probably one of the things that make our district so special. 

Derek Stein: My favorite park is definitely Timber Point. I go kayaking out there a lot, I try to go a few times during the summer. While it is just outside the Tenth District, I do love Blydenburgh Park. I live in Central Islip with my wife Nancy; we were married last year. My favorite restaurants are Out of the Park Burgers in Central Islip and Mulberry Street in East Islip. In my spare time, I like reading and playing video games. I am a bit of a nerd. 

The Messenger thanks Legislator Bergin and Derek Stein for taking time to sit down with us for this candidate spotlight. 
 

The Messenger’s forecast for Brookhaven Town Supervisor: Safe Republican 

About the Tenth District 

Suffolk County’s Tenth Legislative District is contained entirely within the Town of Islip. This L-shaped district starts in the east at MacArthur Airport and the entire western border of Lake Ronkonkoma. It extends out to Hauppauge, where, from there, it extends directly down to the Great South Bay at Great River and East Islip.  

It contains the hamlets of Central Islip, East Islip, Islip Terrace, North Great River, Great River, parts of Hauppauge and Ronkonkoma, and the Village of Islandia.  

The district’s notable features include MacArthur Airport, the Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park, Heckscher State Park, and the vibrant downtown of Central Islip, which is currently seeing a revitalization process.  

The working-class communities that make up this district fit solidly in the Republican fold this year, putting Legislator Bergin in a good path for re-election.