Patch Profiles: Kathleen Walsh

"How can you tell when a politician is lying? His lips are moving." It is an old joke but it remains relevant as public mistrust for the government has not diminished. It is a stigma which Brookhaven Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh has spent her entire career working to ease from the minds of Suffolk County residents.

Walsh earned election in 2005 and she has been re-elected twice since. The mother of three is a firm believer in the government serving its people, not the other way around. She is a product of the Middle Country School District and to this day she still recalls something a teacher told her in seventh grade about politicians.

"He had told us to 'be very suspicious of government, as they don't always look out for your best interests,' and it stuck with me," said Walsh, who was in Selden Middle School then. "I never thought I would get into government but he put the seed in my mind to always question government and I tried to use his words in my governing."

The Councilwoman is no stranger to Suffolk County as she has lived in the community for more than forty years. She grew up in Selden and graduated from Newfield High School in 1977. She has been married to her husband William for 31 years and she joined the PTA when their children entered North Coleman Road Elementary.

"I wanted to be involved in my children's education," said Walsh, who also is entering her second year as Brookhaven's Deputy Supervisor. "I was a stay-at-home mom so I had the time and wanted to volunteer."

It wasn't long before she became the vice-president and eventual co-president of the North Coleman Road PTA. Soon after she became the Assistant Director of Suffolk Country's Regional PTA, and then the President of the Middle Country PTA Council. It was here that she gained knowledge on balancing budgets as she would also become a Board of Education Trustee. Upon re-election to a second term as Councilwoman she accepted the honor of becoming vice-president of the school board.

"I was in my fifth year on the board of education when I decided to run for public office," said Walsh. "I understood that some of the changes that wanted to be made had to be done by the government."

Walsh's progression from the school system into politics was the next logical step for the Republican Councilwoman, who has also served as a chairperson of the Selden-Centereach Youth Association. Her district consists of Selden, Centereach, Lake Grove and parts of Farmingville, Lake Ronkonkoma and Coram. 

Whether on the school board or as a council member, Walsh, who will seek re-election in November of 2011, prides herself on making decisions based on what is best for the people she serves.

"I would never want to put myself above anyone," said Walsh. "You always have to be able look everyone in the eye and be comfortable with your decisions. I think that I'm genuine in the sense that I never forget where I came from."