Anthony Palumbo for New York State Senate 1st District

New York's 1st Senate District stretches west from the Twin Forks to Stony Brook on the north to a slice of Eastport on the south, an area with many distinct features and needs. At the forefront is the necessity of protecting Long Island's unique ecosystem while balancing the demands of agriculture and tourism, constructing workforce housing, mitigating the impacts of severe storms, and nurturing a flagship state university 

Republican Anthony H. Palumbo, 54, of New Suffolk, has demonstrated in his first two terms that he understands these challenges and can provide the necessary leadership for his district and the legislature at large. 

Palumbo, along with Assemb. Fred Thiele, was instrumental in paving the way for November's referendum for Suffolk County voters to raise much-needed funding to protect water quality through increased wastewater treatment.

He understands the need for the state to tackle the looming problem of insurance coverage for weather disasters, suggesting a pot of state money to be put aside when claims are denied by insurance companies. 

Palumbo increased his stature as a legislative leader last year when majority Senate Democrats shamelessly torpedoed Gov. Kathy Hochul's nomination of Suffolk's Hector LaSalle as the state's chief judge so they could install someone with a liberal political agenda. When the Democrats stacked the judiciary committee to block LaSalle's nomination from coming to the floor, Palumbo filed and won a lawsuit that embarrassed Senate leadership into holding a confirmation vote.

Although LaSalle lost, Palumbo's actions exposed the tawdry strategy of Democratic lawmakers manipulating the judicial selection process to engineer changes in criminal law and procedure. Soon afterward, the state's newly realigned majority overturned the conviction of Harvey Weinstein, eliminating evidentiary rules that made it easier for prosecutors to obtain convictions, especially in rape cases. If elected, Palumbo said he will make it a priority to pass legislation that would restore the admissibility of such evidence.

A former Suffolk County assistant district attorney, Palumbo also understands the need to make a few more fixes to criminal justice statutes to enable prosecutors to comply with pretrial evidence release and give judges more discretion in setting bail. He is the deputy floor leader for the GOP conference and ranking minority member of two of the most powerful committees, Codes and Judiciary. In four years, Palumbo has built relationships across the aisle to get the needs of his districts addressed.

Democrat Sarah S. Anker, 60, served on the Suffolk County Legislature for 12 years before being term limited. Starting as a community activist in Mt. Sinai, where she lives, Anker has built a strong environmental record. For more than two decades, she has been advocating for increased water quality protections and demanding the state map hazardous coastal erosion zones to help local governments develop policy for areas not suitable for construction. To increase the housing supply, Anker wants the state to incentivize construction of planned young adult communities, much like over-55 developments. 

Unfortunately, Anker is unlikely to be a strong voice opposing some of the excesses of the Democratic majority that often ignores suburban needs.

Newsday's editorial board endorses Palumbo.