Bio

Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld Councilman

Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld is best known as a reformer of our Town government in Brookhaven and a strong advocate for the preservation of our environment and historical heritage. He was elected and began his public service as a Town Councilman in January 2004 to representing the First Council District in the Town of Brookhaven – the Three Village and Greater Port Jefferson communities - which includes Stony Brook, Setauket, East Setauket, Strong’s Neck, Old Field, Poquott, Port Jefferson, Belle Terre, Port Jefferson Station and Terryville, and parts of South Setauket.

Steve played a leading role in having the referendum for Council Districts put on the ballot in January 2002.  The citizens supported this initiative and, as a result, residents are now more directly involved in the decision-making process of Brookhaven Town Hall.  Under this new system each Council Member is directly elected by a specific “district” of communities.  Residents of Brookhaven now have their own representative who is accountable to them and who will advocate for local land-use and building concerns, town parks and preserves, repair of local streets, and other Town municipal services such as waste removal and recycling.

As the lone Democrat on the Town Board from 2003 to 2005, Steve introduced a measure to eliminate the process of “anoint and appoint” wherein new town board members were appointed to office rather than being elected by the voters.  Steve’s own legal research was sustained by the NYS Attorney General’s office and a referendum to eliminate this process was placed on the November 2005 ballot.  The people responded overwhelmingly, and special elections are now required should a mid-term vacancy occur.

Steve was instrumental in opening Town government to more public scrutiny.  Town Board, Planning Board, and Board of Zoning Appeals meetings are now aired on Cablevision’s Channel 18, the Government Access channel, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  He also worked to provide projection equipment so members in the audience were able to see the site plans, tax maps, architectural renderings being discussed.

He is working to bring about further reforms in the Town of Brookhaven.  He continues to motivate the Town Board to put into place the kind of improvements that will make the Town’s decision-making processes more visible and the Town more accessible and accountable to its residents.

As a strong advocate for the preservation of our environment and historic places Steve has worked successfully at:
  • Amending the Town Code to require that any new “Big Box” commercial store over 125,000 square feet in size obtain special permission from the Town Board while applying Green Building Standards for energy efficiency and reduced impact on our environment and quality of life.

 

  • Helping homeowners “close the financial gap” to install solar renewable energy on their homes “Go Solar” Town Initiative and the “Green Homes” Program to help homeowners accomplish energy efficient retrofits to save on utility costs while ”going greeen” and protecting our environment.

 

  • Preserving our remaining open spaces, particularly environmentally sensitive properties. Open Space funds have already been used to purchase: the nearly 10 acre preserve adjacent to Gallery North in East Setauket, the wooded grove known as the “Terryville Triangle” at the intersection of Route 112 and Jayne Boulevard in Port Jefferson Station just across from the Terryville Fire Department, additional woodlands within the Terryville Greenbelt between Bicycle Path and Rte 112 by the athletic fields of Comsewogue H.S.; the purchase of development rights (PDR) with Suffolk County to preserve Smoke Run Farm in Stony Brook as well as the last remaining parcel of low lands along Aunt Amy’s Creek a tributary of West Meadow Creek also in Stony Brook, along with supporting the puchase of development rights to preserve farmland and critical drinking water recharge areas thoughout the Pine Barrens within our town.

 

  • Development and implementation of a Restoration Master Plan for the West Meadow Beach peninsula while preserving and restoring the wildlife habitat of this critical ecosystem.  Recently adding a live-in Environmental Park “Ranger”, a professional naturalist, to protect this jewel of our town property holdings while helping interpret for the public the marvels of its flora and fauna.

 

  • Establishing the Terryville Road Historic District, an area along Terryville Road south of Route 347 where several well-preserved farmhouses remain, as well as the famous Captian Hawkins Home, some dating back to the early 1800s.  Working with the fledgling Cumsowogue Historical Society to preserve, restore and create a readaptive use of the historic Union Hall building (c 1889) on Terryville Road.

 

  • Obtaining Town landmark, as well as State and Federal Historic Registry status for the former 1st National Bank Building (former Town Tax Receiver’s Office) in Port Jefferson and the iconic Gamecock Cottage at Shipman’s Point on West Meadow Beach.  Working on restoration and readaptive use via private-public partnerships with the Long Island Music Hall of Fame and the Three Village Community Trust respectively.

 

Steve was awarded the “Man of the Year in Government 2005” by The Village Times Herald and The Port Times Record.  He was married in August 2004 to Kristina Kathryn Rudiger, a Health teacher in the Three Village Central School District.  Steve is a homeowner, taxpayer, husband and father, living with his wife in East Setauket and their son, Theodore  born on October 5, 2009.  Steve earned a Bachelor of Arts from SUNY Stony Brook in 1990, his Juris Doctorate degree from the SUNY Buffalo School of Law, and was admitted to the New York Bar in 1996.
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