Head of the Harbor house move transforms newcomer into advocate
By Rita J. Egan
Many people search for a lifetime for a place where they feel a sense of belonging. A few years ago, Lisa Davidson found her place as well as a calling when she moved to the Village of Head of the Harbor.
Earlier this year, Davidson ran unsuccessfully for village trustee. The former southern California and New York City resident said her love for the area inspired her decision to run. The wife, mother and grandmother, who traveled extensively for her career with former jobs at the Los Angeles Times, Fox News and National Geographic Society, said that Stony Brook Harbor, the village’s “tree-lined streets, and the views from Cordwood Park rival them all” in a Jan. 26 interview with The Times of Smithtown. The trustee-hopeful explained her run came down to preserving the rustic charm of Head of the Harbor.
The bid for trustee followed her leading residents to rally against a proposed private 186-foot dock in Nissequogue in 2022, which, if approved, would have sat right next to Cordwood Park, overlooking Stony Brook Harbor. While working to block the dock’s construction, she began to learn about her fellow residents’ concerns.
Judy Ogden, a village trustee, said she wished more people would get as involved as Davidson. She added the advocate has “an enormous impact in the community.”
“Because of her appreciation for the beauty and natural resources of the village — clearly an environmentalist who cares about nature — she immediately became involved in the Joint Coastal Commission for the Village of Head of the Harbor, then started a Stop the Docks movement to protect Stony Brook Harbor, and this year, was a key organizer responsible for reinvigorating and restarting the Harbor Day celebration.”
Ogden added, “In the few years that she has been a resident, she has done more than many who have lived here their whole lives. She has become an advocate, a steward, protecting the natural resources.”
Joint Village Coastal Management Commission
Leighton Coleman III, appointed historian for the villages of Head of the Harbor and Nissequogue, said moving so close to the harbor, Davidson was “stunned by the beauty of the area,” and she recognized the need for her to be a steward of the water.
“She became immediately focused on preserving and appreciating the beauty of the area,” he said.
Coleman credited Head of the Harbor Mayor Douglas Dahlgard for having the foresight to appoint Davidson to the Joint Village Coastal Management Commission shortly after she moved to the village. The historian said due to being selected, she learned more about the harbor and how docks and development affect bodies of water.
At the Aug. 27, 2022, rally to block the dock proposed near Cordwood Park, Davidson said she recused herself from the commission on the matter of private docks.
“After seeing the numerous petitions we get for private docks, I realized that this beautiful bay is in grave danger if we as a community do not come together and take action now before it is too late,” she said.
Happy Harbor Day
As chair of Happy Harbor Day, which was held in September to raise awareness about Stony Brook Harbor, Davidson worked alongside her fellow members of the Friends of Stony Brook Harbor, Nissequogue officials and the Town of Smithtown. The event was first organized by the late Larry Swanson, associate dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University, and had not been held in 15 years.
Nissequogue Mayor Richard Smith said when he brought the idea of reviving the event to the coastal commission, the members liked the idea — and Davidson loved it.
“She was instrumental in making it the success it was,” Smith said, “She was a tremendous help.”
Coleman said he wasn’t surprised that the event drew approximately 300 people despite rainy and chilly weather. He described Davidson as a natural leader and problem solver who is energetic, committed and able to engage people.
“She has built a very good constituency of concerned neighbors and residents of both villages about the ecological concerns for these two coastal communities,” Coleman said.
Beyond the harbor
In addition to her volunteer work with the Joint Village Coastal Management Commission and Friends of Stony Brook Harbor, during her short time on Long Island, Davidson has been a Suffolk County polling inspector and an Island Harvest food bank volunteer. This year, she also joined village residents in vocalizing their concerns about the proposed construction of a church along Route 25A, citing the potential of increased traffic and its close proximity to residents’ properties.
Coleman credited Davidson with waking up people to “the threats that are coming along to the village through overdevelopment and a proliferation of docks.”
“Sometimes you need a newcomer to say, ‘Look, I’ve been around the world. I’ve been traveling, I’ve done this, I’ve done that. You don’t realize how beautiful you have it here, and this needs to be saved,’” he said.
Smith called her a “tremendous asset to this community.”
“She has a great passion for our community — our greater St. James, Nissequogue, Head of the Harbor community,” the mayor said. “Her heart is so much in the right place.”
For her advocacy and dedicated work on behalf of her village communities, Lisa Davidson is named as a TBR News Media 2023 Person of the Year.
