She’s a passionate and hard-working state representative with private sector experience. He’s a former prosecutor committed to fighting crime and making Long Island more affordable. Together, they make up a legislative team that gets local concerns heard in a state Capitol dominated by Progressive interests.
When an organized group of reckless drivers came to Suffolk to terrorize local streets, Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio and Senator Tony Palumbo had legislation drafted that Monday to up the penalties for “Fast and Furious” incidents. They are a loud and consistent voice to repeal the dangerous cashless bail laws of the Democrats and are the first to condemn anti-police rhetoric. They fought against sealing the criminal records of job seekers and sponsored laws to protect the men and women of law enforcement.
Representing the rural East End, they ascribe to the mantra, “No farms, no food,” and can be counted on to protect farmland, open space, and the natural resources that residents depend on and keep tourists coming. They support a public vote on raising Suffolk’s sales tax an eighth of a cent for sewers and private septic systems, a source of revenue that will be enhanced by the visitors who come to enjoy our water resources.
The lawmaking duo is tuned to economic growth and affordability. Giglio’s background in the construction industry and service as a Riverhead Town Board member makes her well-versed in what it takes to create jobs and keep costs down. Her Rescue New York agenda includes cutting regulations and mandates, reducing government spending, and pausing the state fuel tax.
On the Senate side, Palumbo’s very first piece of legislation was a tax-cut bill aimed at saving the average Suffolk resident over $2,500 annually. He accomplished a rare feat for a freshman Republican assemblyman by winning passage of the Peconic Bay Region Community Housing Act to help first-time homebuyers and younger residents realize the dream of homeownership.
They are on the front lines of the battle against the governor’s attempt to usurp local zoning authority to build multi-family housing and block illegal immigrants from being transported to the East End. Unlike their Democrat opponents, they stand for a secure border to stop human trafficking, terrorists from entering the country, and the flow of fentanyl and other deadly drugs that are killing New Yorkers in record numbers.
Giglio and Palumbo are part of a Long Island delegation that makes sure suburban taxpayers get their fair share of state resources, especially education aid, which the urban legislators want to steer to the cities. They’ll play an essential role in directing funds from the state’s $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act and the $1 trillion federal transportation bill, which flows through Albany.
Long Island is an expensive place to live, and the main reason is the policies of the Democrat politicians of New York and the state’s other big cities that control the Capitol. It is critical that we have elected leaders such as Jodi Giglio and Tony Palumbo to stand firm for the suburbs. Representing the 1st Senatorial District, Palumbo was succeeded by Giglio in the 2nd Assembly District. The South Shore Press endorses them both for reelection.