By Peter Sloniewsky

In their recent debate at the TBR News Media office, State Senate District 1 candidate Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai) and incumbent Anthony Palumbo (R-New Suffolk) highlighted their diverse experiences, local and statewide issues, and emphasized their relatively moderate stances. Senate District 1 covers the East End towns of Southampton, East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island and Southold as well as part of eastern Brookhaven Town along the North Shore to Stony Brook.

Legislative service and issues

Firstly, Anker and Palumbo both spent time focusing on their history of legislative service. Anker served for 13 years as a Suffolk County legislator until she was term-limited. Beyond that, Anker emphasized that she had been, and still is, an active citizen, describing herself as a “community advocate.” This background supported Anker’s enthusiasm for hyper-local issues, which have highlighted her time as a county legislator. 

Correspondingly, Anker’s platform is based upon local issues. Stating that, “The most important part of being a legislator is the needs of your constituents,” Anker spoke extensively on issues like traffic safety and water management, often with specific examples and detailed background. She also focused on solving the opioid crisis on Long Island. 

Palumbo served as a Suffolk County assistant DA before being elected state assemblyman 2013-20. Palumbo is the Republican Deputy Floor Leader in the New York State Senate alongside his roles as the ranking member of the Codes and Judiciary Committees. Palumbo’s platform was largely based in state politics considering his extensive time there, and he took note to emphasize his highly productive track record in office. 

Palumbo’s platform is largely defined by pro-taxpayer policies and fiscal conservatism in opposition to government wastefulness. Additionally, in line with his stances on property tax issues across Long Island, he spoke about support for new homebuyers from the state. A centerpiece of his platform, however, is his support for criminal-justice reform on the state level — Palumbo is strictly opposed to bail reform and views it as a misguided Democratic agenda item. 

Staller development at Port Jefferson Station

Both candidates also discussed the Staller proposal for Port Jefferson Station development in different terms. Anker stated she felt that the community had been under involved in the process — that “we want more people to come and stay here,” but that the proposed buildings were obtrusive and it was most important to preserve the suburban character of the area. 

Alternatively, Palumbo thought that Staller should receive the benefit of the doubt as a multigenerational, experienced developer. He framed the question simply: “We’re really asking what the state can do — the state can stay out of it.” Additionally, to him, debate over the project was emblematic of wider issues in New York’s focus on tenant-centered policy. 

Political moderation

Despite these differences, the candidates agreed on most issues and spent time emphasizing their relative political moderation. Anker noted that Palumbo’s mailers cast her as a progressive while she self-describes as “one of the most moderate and fiscal-conservative Democrats you can find,” with experience winning “seven times as a Democrat in one of the most Republican districts out of the legislative districts in Suffolk County.” Moreover,

Palumbo focused on what he depicted as commonsense issues which are more moderate than his widely-assumed agenda as a Republican. 

Long Island school costs

Both candidates also advocated for a reexamination of Long Island school costs. Palumbo advocated for consolidation, and claimed that immigrants were taking advantage of public schools. However, the center of his point was that he would look to reduce an “abundance of administration and staff while not compromising the education of the kids.” Anker also advocated to reexamine administrative pay, and claimed she was looking into an “alternative” way of funding schools to lessen the strain on homeowners. 

Criticisms and consensus

Both candidates took a few digs at their opponent. Palumbo attacked Anker’s record as a “full-time legislator,” claiming that she reported income from two independent business ventures while also a legislator — a claim that she did not directly respond to. He also criticized what Anker described as her proudest legislative achievement — a hotline for school shootings instituted after the Sandy Hook attack — as an “unfunded mandate” that doesn’t solve any parts of the underlying issue. 

Anker criticized Palumbo’s track record as not being local enough. She pointed at his policy proposal for a community preservation fund as something that had already been attempted in the Town of Brookhaven, and used his efforts on a bill to assist the Montauk Native Americans to describe him as lacking focus, even as Palumbo called himself “a Brookhaven guy.” 

Overall, both candidates reached consensus on a good number of issues but found room to criticize each other on lines beyond their partisan differences.

Election Day is Nov. 5. Early voting is still available through Sunday, Nov. 3. See www.suffolkcountyny.gov for Suffolk County locations and times.