Fleming Overwhelmed by Win
Bridget Fleming’s victory on Election Day felt “overwhelming,” the South Fork’s newly elected Suffolk County legislator said yesterday, after about 60 percent of the ballots were counted in her favor.
“The level of support was moving to me, because that’s really what public service is about — serving the community and connecting with the community. In the last weeks of the campaign I just felt overwhelmingly supported, and the numbers bore that out on Election Day. I’m very pleased. We ran a clean and positive campaign,” said Ms. Fleming, a Democrat who now serves on the Southampton Town Board. She would have been able to serve one more term on the board.
She said her first steps would be to “cultivate an open-door policy” and to meet with Jay Schneiderman, the current county legislator, who ran successfully for the post of Southampton Town supervisor after hitting the Legislature’s term limits.
“I’m fortunate to have already developed a lot of great relationships in government and in the community, so one of the first things I want to do is . . . be sure I’m connecting with the folks who have concerns, solutions, and visions for our community,” said Ms. Fleming, a longtime resident of Noyac who in the past ran an unsuccessful campaign for the New York State Senate. “My immediate focus is environmental concerns, water quality in particular, and then rolling up our sleeves and getting to work on how to trim the budget and how to grow the economy.”
Amos Goodman, Ms. Fleming’s Republican opponent in the race for Suffolk County’s Second Legislative District seat, congratulated her on her “hard-fought victory.” He said he was thankful for all the people who supported and believed in him throughout the process.
“I’m very proud of the work my team did. We ran a great campaign,” said Mr. Goodman, a financial consultant who lives in Springs. “When the final numbers are in, we’ll understand how it all shook out. I think we got a lot done. I look forward to continuing to play a constructive role in politics out here.”
He said he wasn’t sure yet what form that would take, but said he is open to ideas.
“This campaign was not about a job. It was because I love this place and I think that there are changes that need to be made at all levels,” Mr. Goodman said. “I remain concerned about the trajectory. My motivation was not personal, it was to contribute to the community and try to advance ideas. I think we did some of that and that’s going to continue.”