Margaret A. Larsen R

BACKGROUND

• Larsen, 42, of Shelter Island, a registered Republican, is seeking her second term on the board, where she is deputy supervisor. She is running on the Republican and Conservative lines. 
• She works at Shelter Island Sand, Gravel and Contracting, where she manages installations of nitrogen-reducing septic systems. She is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Post 281 and town liaison to the Community Housing Board. 
• Larsen said she earned a bachelor’s degree in human development and sociology from Boston College and a master’s in speech pathology from Old Dominion University. 

ISSUES

• Larsen said she would focus on continuing to update the town code, which she said is outdated and hard to enforce, and also on updating the town’s comprehensive plan to have a better picture of what the community wants. "We need an enforcement code to preserve the island way of life," she said.
• She would continue to work toward solutions for the island’s twofold water problems — salt intrusion in near-shore areas and high nitrate levels in other areas. Testing will help determine if certain areas need public water, and the town must decide how to treat wastewater, either by upgrading septic systems or adding a treatment system, she said.
• Larsen said she would continue to address the need for affordable housing and help finalize plans for 10 affordable housing at two sites. She said she hopes to focus next on senior housing options.