Meet The Candidates: Anthony Palumbo For New York State Senate

This November, Long Island residents will be hitting the polls to exercise their right to vote. While voters will be electing the president on Election Day, November 3, they will also be choosing their local representatives. In New York, state and federal races will also be on the ballot.

Republican Anthony Palumbo,50, of New Suffolk, a current New York State Assemblyman, is running for a seat in the 1st Senate District held by retiring New York State Senator Kenneth LaValle for 44 years.

The 1st New York State Senate district covers the five East End towns and the eastern portion of Brookhaven Town.

Palumbo will face off with Democratic challenger Laura Ahearn.

Palumbo, who lives on the North Fork with his wife Tracy and two children, is also an attorney and former Suffolk County prosecutor who attended St. John's Law School and Lafayette College.

In anticipation of the election, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as Election Day draws near.

Check out the full Q&A below:

Anthony Palumbo

Why are you seeking elective office?

We need to bring balance and new leadership to the State Senate. I have served in the State Assembly for seven years and over the past two years I have seen the negative impact of complete Democrat control over state government. Bail reform, school aid cuts, tax increases, and anti-business legislation has all severely impacted our region. As senator, I will work to build upon Senator Ken LaValle’s record and fight to protect our values and our unique quality of life.

The single most pressing issue facing our nation/state/community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Public Safety. The bail and discovery laws have put dangerous and repeat offenders back on our streets and has given criminals access to once confidential information that endangers victims, police officers and witnesses. Worse, the anti-cop, pro-criminal rhetoric coming out of Albany is hindering law enforcement’s ability to do their jobs, while putting the rights of criminals above those of law abiding citizens. As senator, I will work to repeal these disastrous laws and provide law enforcement with the tools, resources and support they need to keep our communities safe.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

My opponent would be another vote for the radical agenda that is hurting our communities. My opponent has touted the support and backing of the same Long Island senators who passed bail reform and openly admitted to supporting all of those measures during the Democratic primary. These senators also allowed the STAR relief checks to be cancelled and cut funding to our school districts. In contrast, I have the universal backing and support of every law enforcement group in Suffolk and others from around the state and nation. I have the support of pro-business groups like the National Federation of Independent Businesses, various labor groups and civil service employees — because I have a record of doing what’s right for Long Island families and businesses. I have always put the needs of Long Island before the radical policies of the New York City political bosses and will continue to do so in the Senate.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

To protect our region’s unique quality of life, I will continue to advocate for Long Island’s fair share of state education funding, restore the property tax relief checks that provide homeowners with roughly $700 in savings a year, and continue my advocacy for our environment while protecting our drinking water.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I have been the assemblyman on the North Fork for several years. Over my tenure, I have worked closely with Senator LaValle to pass the Clean Water Act, secure record state school aid to our local districts, extended the Pine Barrens to an additional 840 acres in Shoreham. My very first bill signed into law was a tax exemption for first-time homebuyers and I created the North Fork Mental Health Intitiative to provide much needed mental health resources for the East End students who didn’t have such services.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

The best advice ever shared with me was from Senator Ken LaValle who always said to act like a statesman and keep the 1st District first.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

My father was a Suffolk County homicide detective and my mother was a homemaker. After graduating Patchogue-Medford High School I went to college on a baseball scholarship and then attended Law School at St. John’s University. I am the first member of my family to obtain a law degree and started my career as a Suffolk County prosecutor. I have the utmost respect for the difficult job our men and women in law enforcement do, and as senator, I will always have their back. Now more than ever, we need to focus on restoring law and order to the state as a top priority, which will create the conduit to re-opening safely and smartly as we start to put this pandemic behind us.