Republicans set to tap Krupski aide Catherine Stark to succeed him in First Legislative District

Longtime Riverhead resident Catherine Stark is the presumptive Republican nominee for the First Legislative District seat being vacated by Legislator Al Krupski, who is running for Southold Town supervisor this year.

Stark is seeking the GOP nomination and has the backing of Republican County Chairman Jesse Garcia.

A lifelong Republican, Stark, 59, has been a legislative aide to Krupski, a Democrat, for nearly all of his decade-long tenure in the legislature.

She has served in various positions in county government for more than 20 years, from the office of the clerk of the legislature, to the office of real property tax services, where she served as executive assistant to the director, to a stint in former County Executive Bob Gaffney’s office and, before becoming Krupski’s legislative aide, held that position in the office of then-legislator Jay Schneiderman.

“I know county government from the ground up,” Stark said in an interview today.

Her experience in county government schooled Stark in property tax assessment and valuation, the inner workings of the legislature, the functions of county agencies, including the massive social services department, and many of the issues that she holds near and dear to her heart, she says. Among them are farmland preservation, wastewater management, environmental sustainability, and constituent service.

She prides herself on being knowledgeable about how county government works and practical about its functions. “You try to do whatever you can to help people,” she said.

A Riverhead native, she is the daughter of former Riverhead Supervisor James Stark. Crossing the aisle to work with Krupski was not such a big deal, since she is the product of a “mixed” marriage — while her late father was a dyed in the wool Republican, her mother Patricia is a Democrat, leading to many animated discussions around the dinner table. She learned early on the value of a healthy debate.

Stark lived in Riverhead until marriage to a military man took her to various locations around the country — including Hawaii. After returning to Riverhead and a subsequent divorce, Stark entered the work force and later went back to college, completing her bachelor’s degree in organizational management at St. Joseph’s College in 2005 — while holding down a full-time job and raising three children.

“We are very excited to have Catherine Stark as our candidate in the First District,” Republican leader Garcia said today.

“Catherine Stark has a long history of service in the legislative district. She’s worked shoulder to shoulder with community groups and stakeholders in the community to make sure that the role and character of the East End is maintained, that we preserve our environment and our waterways — and of course, to make sure that the middle class families that call the North Fork their home have an affordable place to live,” Garcia said.

Stark has deep roots in the community and is the consensus candidate of the local party committees, he said.

“She knows the district, she knows the players in the district, and the players in the district who have come to depend on Al depend on her as well,” Garcia said.

The county chairman predicted Stark’s victory in November.

The county committee will hold their convention Thursday evening in Islip, where committee members will cast their votes for nominees for county executive and county legislators.

The county committee is expected to designate Krupski’s predecessor in the First Legislative District, Ed Romaine, as its candidate for county executive. In 2013, Krupski was elected to the legislative seat left vacant by Romaine’s election as Brookhaven Town Supervisor in a special election in 2012.

Suffolk County Democrats have not yet announced their pick in the First Legislative District election.