Legislator Al Krupski stepping aside to run for Southold Town supervisor

County Legislator Al Krupski will not seek election to a sixth term of office this year and instead will run for Southold Town supervisor.

Krupski acknowledged his intentions in an interview this afternoon, after it was reported by The Suffolk Times this morning.

Krupski’s plan was anything but a surprise in local political circles, since Southold Supervisor Scott Russell has been open about his intention not to seek re-election this year. Krupski, a Democrat, and Russell, a Republican, have long been fast friends, having served together on the Southold Town Board. Russell even appointed Krupski as his deputy supervisor. Krupski has said in the past he would not run for Southold Town supervisor while Russell held the seat.

Russell joked last month in an interview that he and Krupski were already planning a transition team.

Krupski, then a Southold councilman, won a landslide victory over Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter in a January 2013 special election to fill the First Legislative District seat vacated by former County Legislator Ed Romaine, who was elected Brookhaven Town Supervisor in November 2012.

Krupski is only the second Democrat ever elected to represent the First Legislative District, traditionally a Republican stronghold. The first was Joyce Burland of Sagaponack, who served one term, 1976-1977, when the district took in both forks.

A fourth-generation farmer, the lifelong Cutchogue resident is also the first farmer to ever serve in the legislature, which was established in 1970 and replaced the county board of supervisors as Suffolk’s governing body.

The five-term Democrat could have been elected to one more term in the legislature before being term-limited out of office by county law.

A 28-year veteran of town elective office — he served as Southold Town trustee for 20 years before his eight-year stint as councilman — Krupski said today running for Southold supervisor “was always something I thought of.” He said former Supervisor Bill Pell told him back in the 1980s he thought someday Krupski would be sitting in the supervisor’s chair at Town Hall.

“It’s a great town and I’d like to keep it as it was when I was growing up,” Krupski said. “It was a great place for Mary and I to raise our children. And we now have three grandchildren and a fourth on the way very soon,” he said.

“I want to make sure there’s a place here that resembles Southold,” he said. “The town can change. There’s a lot of cautionary tales there,” he said, referring to Riverhead. “How fast the town changed and you know if you want it to stay a certain way, retain that character, you’ve got to work at it,” Krupski said.

The legislator said the people of the First Legislative District are “outstanding, great people” and “it’s been an honor to serve them.”

He said he will focus his remaining time in the legislature advocating for farmland and open space preservation, which has been a priority of his during his decade-long tenure, and advocating for the East End, another priority in his legislative career.

Krupski’s exit reportedly has county leaders in both the Democratic and Republican parties scrambling for candidates, despite having fair warning that Russell was opting not to run and Krupski would look to succeed him in Southold.

County leaders did not return phone calls seeking comment this afternoon.