State Hopefuls Debate in Hampton Bays

From abortion to affordable housing, bail reform to later start times for public schools, candidates for state office weighed in on an array of topics as debate season commenced locally, with an outing hosted by the Hampton Bays Civic Association on September 28.

Held at the Southampton Town senior center in the hamlet, the event included candidates for State Senate, Republican incumbent Anthony Palumbo and his Democratic challenger, Skyler Johnson, and, for State Assembly, Democratic incumbent Fred W. Thiele Jr. and his Republican opponent, Peter Ganley.

Civic Association member Kevin McDonald moderated. Acknowledging the brief time frame panelists had to respond to queries — just two minutes — he advised audience members to check out their websites for more full bodied articulation of their views and votes.

The predominantly affable outing saw few tempers flare, and rare audience outbursts, but they did occur. The younger challengers went on the offensive against their more seasoned opponents.

Speaking on the topic of bail reform, and what they believe should be changed, Palumbo acknowledged racism in the justice system, resulting in a disproportionate number of people of color incarcerated. But the lawmaker believes socio-economic factors are the driving force: “Poor people are the ones, sadly, who are committing crimes. People in the inner cities, people without money, who are sticking up the bodega and the 7-Eleven. Those aren’t people from a two-parent household who live in Mount Sinai, in my experience.”

Johnson seized upon the statement. Pointing out his father, who is Black, in the audience, the 22-year-old Mount Sinai resident said he was offended.

“That’s my dad sitting there,” he said. Audience members called out, and McDonald called for quiet.

“Senator Palumbo did just say that Black people are the ones being held and went on to say it’s because they don’t come from two-parent homes, and they are the ones sticking up bodegas. I’m very disgusted by that,” Johnson said.

Poor communities need assistance from government, he said, adding, “It’s not just about Black people sticking up bodegas.”

“Conflating comments like that is a little bit out of line,” Palumbo said in rebuttal.

Returning to the question, the senator said judges need to have the ability to weigh dangerousness. Ganley and Palumbo both support giving judges more discretion.

Thiele noted he’s co-sponsored a bill providing more discretion. He lamented the inclusion of the bail reform measure in the governor’s budget package in 2020. It wouldn’t have passed if laid on the table individually, he said.

Ganley, too, went on attack at one point. In support of term limits, he noted, “I’m running against someone who’s been in office longer than I’ve been alive,” he said. Thiele countered, “What you describe as a fault, I call experience.”

Claiming that Thiele plans a move to North Carolina, Ganley suggested his opponent will be leaving the district.

“You need a representative who is present, accountable and available,” Thiele responded, noting that he and his wife are building a second home down South, as many Long Islanders do. “When I go, I don’t know if I’m going to heaven or hell, but when I go, I’m going from Sag Harbor. Sag Harbor is my home.”

Lasering in to criticize his opponent, Johnson looked askance at Palumbo’s providing legal services for a client in a case against Riverhead Town — a municipality whose constituents he is supposed to represent. An attorney with a practice on the North Fork, Palumbo pointed out that it is perfectly legal for him to practice law in the district and for legislators to maintain their outside jobs while in the Senate. “There is nothing unethical under state rules,” he said.

Johnson garnered applause when he offered, “I’ll be a full-time senator.”

On the topic of abortion, Thiele noted support for reproductive rights throughout his career in office, and called for strong state laws protecting a woman’s right to choose. He supported the amendment that put reproductive rights into the State Constitution.

Speaking to the importance of this year’s race, he said, “I am mindful of the fact that when I run for office, the president’s running or the governor’s running. I am the last line on the ballot every two years … But what the Supreme Court made clear this year is, we’re not just the last line on the ballot, we’re the last line of defense.” New York is a pro-choice state because of the State Legislature, Thiele said.

Ganley said he is pro-life and supports parental notification and restrictions on late-term abortions, except in cases of danger to the life of the mother, rape or incest.

Thiele rejected the contention that the matter is “settled” in New York: “It’s settled in New York as long as we keep electing people who are pro-choice.”

Palumbo is looking forward to a ballot proposition on the issue and described himself as opposed to third-trimester abortions.

“Late-term abortions is a myth,”Johnson asserted, asking, “Does anyone in this room truly believe that someone gets to month six of their pregnancy and goes, ‘I don’t want to do this anymore’?” Late-term abortions happen more when the woman’s life is in danger, he said.

Rebutting, Palumbo informed the women’s reproductive health act comprised a 10-point agenda. He co-sponsored nine of the points as stand-alone bills, but voted no on the measure calling for abortion “without limit.” The legislation will be on the ballot next year “because I supported it,” the senator said.

Ganley remarked that 90 percent of Americans support a ban on third-trimester abortions, except in case of a threat to the woman’s life — prompting a chorus of “no!” from audience members.

Speaking to protecting rights for members of the LGBTQ community, Johnson noted that, as a legislator, he will work toward the passage of the equality amendment when it appears on the ballot.

Palumbo described himself as a leader protecting those rights: “Love who you want to love,” he said.

Ganley said he considers himself an ally, while Thiele pointed to his record, adding, “You don’t have to wonder what I’m going to do when I get [to Albany]. People already know what I’m going to do, because I’ve done it.”

Panelists focused on varied aspects of the encompassing topic of renewable energy. Johnson noted he’s been endorsed by the Sierra Club and opposes the expansion of nuclear power. Palumbo said he supports renewables — “that’s absolutely the way to go … we’re going to get there.”

Offering that the East End is “the best-looking district in the State of New York,” Ganley said, “the environment is very important to me.”

Thiele made note of the need for greater oversight of LIPA and PSEG Long Island. PSEG is, he said, “the least regulated utility in the nation.” They couldn’t keep the lights on in Tropical Storm Isaias, and they’re never going to address climate change, he predicted. Offshore wind offers the chance to reverse 50 years of failed energy policy, if handled carefully, the assemblyman observed.

The opioid epidemic is “tearing Long Island families apart,” Ganley offered in response to a query directed to Assembly candidates. Lawmakers need to ensure funding that makes treatment available and decriminalize addiction, the candidate said.

Thiele noted that he worked on mental health and addiction issues even before the pandemic, which saw the crises skyrocket. He noted efforts with the South Fork Behavioral Health Initiative to get funding for school districts to participate.

Candidates agreed when it came to several issues: the Community Housing Fund, the revitalization of downtown Hampton Bays, and later start times for public schools. Of the latter, they all found the idea intriguing but said it needed more study.

As for the CHF, the proposed transfer tax dedicated to funding affordable housing, Thiele and Palumbo both carried the legislation in Albany, with the assemblyman urging audience members to be sure to flip their ballots over on Election Day and vote on the proposition.

Palumbo spoke of convincing his Republican counterparts to pass the enabling legislation for the proposition by explaining the East End’s unique attributes, and housing costs. Johnson and Ganley both made note of people they know who can’t afford to live in communities where they work, the former using the term “economic exile,” as he described the exodus of young people from Long Island.

Thiele feels decisions about how Hampton Bays looks are best left to the local community, with the state providing resources for the infrastructure needed to reach its vision, like it did at Good Ground Park. “We absolutely need input from stakeholders,” Palumbo concurred. “Locally, you can decide what’s best for Hampton Bays,” Ganley noted, and all agreed that the state’s role is to help provide resources through “grabbing every grant they can.”

Johnson pointed out that if elected, as a member of the majority in the Senate, a majority he believes will be retained for a long time, he’d be in the best position to bring funds home to his district. He wants to make sure small businesses are supported in the effort.

Covering the five East End Towns and a portion of Brookhaven, the 1st Senate District is one of the largest, geographically, in the state. Palumbo, 52, a New Suffolk resident, is running for his second term on the Republican and Conservative party lines. His challenger, Skyler Johnson, hails from Mount Sinai and is running on the Democratic line. He fell in a primary in the race for Assembly in 2021.

The 1st Assembly District covers the towns of East Hampton, Southold and Shelter Island, plus a portion of Brookhaven Town and Southampton Town up to the hamlet of Riverside. Incumbent Thiele, 69, of Sag Harbor is running for his 14th term, having been first elected to the Assembly in 1995. He’s on the Democratic line. Running on the Republican and Conservative lines, his opponent, Ganley, 26, resides in Cutchogue.