Questions & Answers with Box Party Candidate, Theresa O’Brien who is running in Head of The Harbor NY’s contested election on March 18th 2014

Theresa is a lifelong resident of Long Island. She, her husband Scott, and their three children moved to Head of the Harbor three years ago from Stony Brook.

Theresa is a fourth-grade classroom teacher, and has taught for eighteen years. That is not all. Theresa is an active parent who loves spending time with her husband, Scott, a school principal and college professor, and their three children. 

Busy parents, they still find time to attend after-school games, Cub Scout meetings, and horse shows. She also volunteers as a children's religious education teacher at St. James Church in Setauket and is a member of the Parent Teacher Association of her children’s school.

Giving back to her Village community is important to Theresa. She helped to revive the Head of The Harbor’s Roadside Committee, and spends many weekends painting street signs and gates, picking up trash along the way, and meeting her neighbors. 

She has pride in the Village; a willingness to give of her time to make it a better place; and a belief that the spirit of a community, the attitude of neighbor to neighbor and Village Hall to each of its residents, can make or break our choice to live here or somewhere else.

"I teach fourth graders, but they have taught me as well. Everyone gets a lot more out of the school day if you start off by trying to get the best out of them, rather than driving home the rules at the outset. Honestly, I have never had much interest in the second way. The same principle applies to enjoying our beautiful community.”

“My respect for my neighbors; for their right of peaceful enjoyment of their property; for people who serve the Village” is what encourages me to run says Theresa O’Brien. Her friendliness, coupled with her practical.

1) Tell us little bit about your self, Theresa.

I teach fourth graders. I have been teaching for eighteen years. Before that, I worked in advertising right out of college, and then spent ten years as a manager in a demanding health practice on Long Island. I have lived on Long Island all my life; three years ago my husband and I, and our three children moved to Head of the Harbor from Stony Brook Village.

2) What persuaded you to run for Trustee of Head of The Harbor? 

I have been thinking about that question, and I realize that I actually started making that decision for years before I formally announced it. It was my dream for a long time to live in Head of The Harbor. Almost immediately after we moved here, I realized that things were not right and I that wanted to change them. For example, almost as soon as we got here, someone who presented themselves as a member of a powerful Village board stopped over and gave us a long list of “no”s: no children in the buffer. No mowing beyond the existing grass line. No taking down dead trees. I wondered if we had made a mistake. Now the trees, a certified arborist advised us that they should really be removed. Couldn’t do it, according to the Board member: the dead trees were animal habitat. We were stymied. I really thought we had made a mistake coming here. Come Hurricane Sandy, we lost fifteen trees and a lot of perfectly healthy ones in their fall line. I think that that is when the process started, for me to run for Trustee. As I began to make friends with my neighbors, they complained to me about the same harsh treatment; I thought it wasn’t right; and became aware that I was someday going to do something about it.

3) What relevant experience do you have that perhaps other Trustee candidates do not?

Experience is one thing, and what you take from that experience, your outlook, is also important. Let me talk about both. I have worked for some twenty-six years: I started off working in advertising straight out of college. Then I started working in a multi-million dollar health practice, first as an administrator and then as a manager. I worked on budgets, managed employees, handled billing and insurance and health audits, and ensured client satisfaction, as well as legal compliance with an array of federal, state and local regulations. I learned that hard work, a positive attitude, ability to work with others in a respectful way, go a long way in seeing that a business achieves its goals effectively.I moved to teaching because I wanted to help people in a different way. Here again, I learned that starting off with encouraging the best out of everyone – everyone – students, parents, administrators, staff, and regulators – listening, trying to get them to work together, and moving forward to achieve the desired goals – really works, and is much better than laying down the law with a string of “no”s and “don’t”s – an approach that I have never had much interest in at all.

4) Are you running against anyone for Trustee?

I recognize that there are two positions for Trustee and three candidates in the race. Obviously, not everyone can win. The way I look at it, I am not running against anyone, I am running for the position of Trustee. I think that with my background, my experience, and most importantly, my attitude of respect for our neighbors, those who serve us in Village government, and my ability to work with people, that I am a candidate that the voters of this Village should entrust with the stewardship of this office. I would hope that the voters would not only see this, but choose as the other elected Trustee, the candidate whose attitude and mindfulness of others is closest to my own. I have worked with Gordon Van Vechten on the Roadside Committee last year; I have come to respect him, and to believe that he shares my vision.

5) What does the Box Party stand for?

The Box tree we see around the village is beautiful, and is a symbol of strength, resilience, and growth. As a party, we are convinced that government is “for” the people: we want village government to be respectful and responsive. We value communication and friendliness between neighbor and neighbor, and to village representatives. We want our government to run not only efficiently, but courteously as well. We want every encounter between the Village and a resident to be a positive one in this respect: whatever the outcome, we want both parties to feel that they were treated respectfully, fairly, and professionally. Where government can’t devote resources to a desirable activity, we hope to encourage neighbors and fellow residents to find some time to volunteer. It is fun and very rewarding way to meet your neighbors and make new friends.