Patch Profiles: Connie Kepert

The burdens of working as a full-time high school teacher would be more than enough to overwhelm the average individual. For Brookhaven Councilwoman Connie Kepert the responsibility of educating young minds is only half of her unenviable, industrious day.

In addition to being held accountable for Brookhaven's Fourth District, Kepert also welcomes the added challenge of teaching 11th grade special education students American history at Longwood High School.

"Finding the time is not always easy," said Kepert, who is appreciating the summer months while school is not in session. "Right now I'm enjoying the fact that I don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning here in the summer. It's a very early day at Longwood. The high school day ends at 2 o'clock and then I come to town hall. The real strain is when there are town board meetings that go very late and it becomes difficult to get up in the morning."

Kepert was first elected to the political realm in November of 2005 and took office in January of the following year. She has been reelected twice since then and will again seek reelection in November of 2011. Teaching learning disabled students, and governing one of Brookhaven's most diverse districts appears to come naturally for the Suffolk County lifer.

"I find it rewarding and most of the time it's fun," said Kepert. "Sometimes it can be frustrating but certainly moving things through the process and getting things done, and seeing them to fruition, particularly parks or sidewalks projects, is very rewarding. We live in a very diverse district so we have a lot of different issues and problems."

Kepert, who currently resides in Middle Island, was raised in Deer Park where she graduated from Deer Park High School. After graduating from Dowling College and SUNY Oneonta, Kepert relocated cross-country to earn her graduate degree in public policy at the University of Oregon. It was here where she met her future husband Andrew. The two married in 1976, moved to New York and raised their three children Shaun, Christopher, and Daniel.  

Prior to being elected to the Town Council, Kepert demonstrated her dedication to her community through various roles. Kepert represented the different civic organizations of Brookhaven, spending a combined 18 years as the President of the Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organization, the Longwood Alliance, and the Middle Island Civic Association. As a councilwoman, Kepert feels honored to take that next step in serving her community.

"I'm proud of my work in energy conservation," said Kepert, who has also worked tirelessly to reduce traffic congestion in her district. "I'm working on a number of traffic calming projects. We have a roundabout that is going to go up in Middle Island, we're doing a multiuse trail along Smith's Road in Shirley, we have bike lanes going in on various roadways and the construction of new sidewalks. These are very important to me because we're trying to make our roads safer for all of our users."

Kepert's two prong approach at energy efficiency involves making sure all new homes are equipped with  Energy Star logos, and increasing energy effectiveness of older homes through the Green Homes Program. Many times Kepert has insured that not only do these homes meet New York state energy requires, but often far surpass them. 

Concil District Four consists of Middle Island, Bellport, North Bellport, Brookhaven Hamlet, Gordon Heights, Yaphank, and parts of Farmingville, Medford, Ridge, North Shirley, Holtsville, and Coram. Her community service has been recognized with several awards including the North Shore Sun's 2007 Public Servant of the Year Award, the Brookhaven Town Women of the Year Award, and the Suffolk County Volunteer of the Year Award, just to name a few.

"I think being in contact with young people gives you a different perspective than other people on the board," said the Democratic board member who feels her motherhood and life in the classroom gives her a leg up on the competition. "They really have a different perspective of what development means. I tend to be more education oriented; if we don't advance those minds, it's to our own detriment."

Read up on the other Town Council members that represent Sachem towns: Tim Mazzei and Kathleen Walsh.