Public Safety Voter Guide
vote early • Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 • election day • tuesday, nov. 3
Re-Elect Nick LaLota for Congress
Nick LaLota is a U.S. Navy veteran representing New York’s 1st Congressional District. A lifelong Long Islander, LaLota serves on the House Homeland Security Committee and has focused on public safety, national security, veterans, affordability and delivering federal resources to Suffolk County.
He has secured funding for local law-enforcement equipment and technology, clean-water projects and infrastructure improvements. LaLota has also worked on bipartisan efforts to combat fentanyl and other illicit drugs and strengthen resources available to law enforcement and first responders.
Re-Elect Andrew Garbarino for Congress
Andrew Garbarino represents New York’s 2nd Congressional District and serves as Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. A lifelong Long Islander and attorney, he previously represented the area in the New York State Assembly.
Garbarino has focused on homeland security, cybersecurity, emergency preparedness and supporting police, firefighters and other first responders. He has also been a leading advocate for 9/11 responders and the World Trade Center Health Program while working on tax relief, infrastructure and issues affecting Long Island families and businesses.
vote early • Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 • election day • tuesday, nov. 3
Re-Elect Thomas P. DiNapoli for New York State Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli has served as New York State Comptroller since 2007 and has been elected statewide four times. A lifelong Long Islander raised in a union household, DiNapoli oversees the New York State Common Retirement Fund and is responsible for protecting the retirement security of more than one million public employees, retirees and beneficiaries.
His office conducts audits of state and local governments, investigates public corruption and pension fraud, promotes government transparency and returns hundreds of millions of dollars in unclaimed funds to New Yorkers. Independent reviews have recognized the pension fund for its investment oversight, risk management and ethical governance.
Law Enforcement Candidates for New York Senate
Re-Elect Anthony Palumbo
for State Senate District 1
Anthony Palumbo represents New York’s 1st Senate District, including the East End and portions of Brookhaven. Before entering the Legislature, Palumbo served as a Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney, prosecuting major crimes and drug offenses.
His legislative work has emphasized public safety, law enforcement, criminal justice, affordability and protecting taxpayers. Palumbo has also focused on clean water, agriculture, small businesses and the fishing and tourism industries that are vital to the East End economy.
Re-Elect Mario Mattera
for State Senate District 2
Mario Mattera represents New York’s 2nd Senate District and brings decades of experience in the skilled trades and organized labor to public service. His priorities include affordability, public safety, infrastructure, education and protecting Long Island jobs.
Mattera has worked to secure state funding for sewer and infrastructure projects in communities including Smithtown, Kings Park and St. James. He has also advocated for law enforcement and first responders while emphasizing workforce development and opportunities for skilled tradespeople.
Re-Elect Dean Murray
for State Senate District 3
Dean Murray represents New York’s 3rd Senate District, covering communities in Brookhaven and Islip. Having served in both the State Assembly and Senate, Murray has focused on public safety, affordability, small businesses, education and crime victims.
His work has included developing a Crime Victims First Agenda following discussions with victims, advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors and service providers. Murray has also advocated for policies aimed at strengthening victims’ rights, supporting police and first responders and improving criminal-justice accountability.
Re-Elect Monica Martinez
for State Senate District 4
Monica Martinez represents New York’s 4th Senate District and serves as Chair of the Senate Local Government Committee. A former educator and Suffolk County legislator, Martinez has focused on public safety, education, families, first responders and economic development.
Her legislative work includes measures addressing sex trafficking, impaired driving, school security and emergency response. Martinez has also advocated for firefighter and EMS benefits, law-enforcement resources and stronger protections for children and families while helping secure significant state funding for communities throughout her district.
Elect Jarett Gandolfo
for State Senate District 8
Jarett Gandolfo currently serves in the New York State Assembly and is a candidate for New York’s 8th Senate District. A lifelong Long Islander, Gandolfo has focused on public safety, affordability, infrastructure, clean water and maintaining local control over community issues.
His legislative work has included advocating for law enforcement, changes to criminal-justice policies and additional resources for local communities. He has also worked on funding for schools, libraries, mental-health services, pedestrian safety and infrastructure while emphasizing tax relief and affordability for Long Island families.
Re-Elect Jessica Scarcella-Spanton
for State Senate District 23
Jessica Scarcella-Spanton represents New York’s 23rd Senate District, covering portions of Staten Island and southern Brooklyn, and serves as Chair of the Senate Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs Committee. As a military spouse, she has made veterans, military families and first responders central to her legislative work.
Scarcella-Spanton has advanced initiatives involving veterans’ housing, career assistance, mental-health and suicide-prevention resources and benefits for first responders. She has also worked on public safety, affordability, families and protections for those who participated in World Trade Center rescue and recovery operations.
Law Enforcement Candidates for New York ASSEMBLY
Re-Elect Jodi Giglio
for State Assembly District 2
Jodi Giglio represents New York’s 2nd Assembly District, including Riverhead, Southold and portions of Brookhaven. Before joining the Assembly, she served for 10 years on the Riverhead Town Board.
Giglio has focused on public safety, veterans, seniors, affordability, workforce development and protecting taxpayers. Her legislative priorities also include supporting law enforcement and first responders, strengthening Long Island’s economy and protecting the East End’s farmland, open space, clean water and natural resources.
Re-Elect Joseph Destefano
for State Assembly District 3
Joe DeStefano brings decades of public-safety and first-responder experience to the New York State Assembly. He spent 27 years with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office as a Public Safety Communication Supervisor, served for 30 years as a Medford Fire District Commissioner and has more than four decades of involvement with Medford Volunteer Ambulance.
His legislative priorities include public safety, first-responder protections, affordability and taxpayer accountability. DeStefano has sponsored measures involving police and first-responder safety, criminal justice, bail policy and tools to assist law enforcement in investigating serious crimes.
Re-Elect Rebecca Kassay
for State Assembly District 4
Rebecca Kassay represents New York’s 4th Assembly District in northern Brookhaven. Her work has focused on public safety, first responders, veterans, environmental protection and community investment. Kassay has secured funding for local fire and EMS organizations and the Suffolk County Police Department Behavioral Health Unit.
Her public-safety work includes initiatives addressing impaired driving, e-bike safety, emerging technology-related crimes and community emergency preparedness. She has also worked to protect the Setauket-Port Jefferson Station Greenway and secure state resources for local infrastructure and environmental projects.
Re-Elect Doug Smith
for State Assembly District 5
Doug Smith represents New York’s 5th Assembly District across portions of Brookhaven and Islip. A certified mathematics teacher, Smith has made education, public safety and affordability central to his legislative work.
He has sponsored legislation addressing assaults against police officers, safety-equipment grants for law enforcement, package theft and protection of critical infrastructure. Smith has also worked on school safety, domestic-violence protections, combating the opioid epidemic and supporting first responders, families and local schools.
Elect DawnMarie Kuhn
for State Assembly District 7
DawnMarie Lentz-Kuhn is an Islip Town Councilwoman and candidate for New York State Assembly District 7. Born and raised in Bohemia, she has more than a decade of experience in municipal and county government and previously served as Chief of Staff to Suffolk County Legislator Anthony Piccirillo and Islip Town Councilman James O’Connor.
Kuhn is also a small-business owner and former president of the Bohemia Civic Association. Elected to the Islip Town Council in 2025, she brings experience in constituent services, local government and community advocacy, with a focus on public safety, infrastructure, fiscal responsibility and responsive government.
Re-Elect Michael Durso
for State Assembly District 9
Michael Durso represents New York’s 9th Assembly District, covering portions of Nassau and Suffolk counties. His background includes service as a sanitation supervisor, union member, Hofstra University Public Safety Officer and certified first responder.
Durso has focused on public safety, first responders, veterans, seniors, affordability and quality-of-life issues. He has worked with local law-enforcement agencies on senior identification and prescription-drug disposal initiatives while advocating for infrastructure improvements and resources for the communities he represents.
Re-Elect Steve Stern
for State Assembly District 10
Steve Stern represents New York’s 10th Assembly District and serves as Chair of the Assembly Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He has made veterans, first responders, public safety and community services major priorities of his legislative work
Stern has advanced legislation and funding supporting veterans’ mental health, suicide prevention and peer-support programs, including the Joseph P. Dwyer Veterans Peer-to-Peer Program. He has also worked to secure resources for law enforcement, first responders, schools, clean-water projects and infrastructure throughout his district.
Re-Elect Kwani O'Pharrow
for State Assembly District 11
Kwani B. O’Pharrow is a U.S. Navy veteran and retired NYPD detective with 25 years of law-enforcement service. During his NYPD career, he worked in community patrol, domestic violence, gang investigations, plainclothes assignments and the Intelligence Bureau.
O’Pharrow is also a New York State law-enforcement instructor and co-founded Cops N’ Kids Long Island to strengthen relationships between police officers and young people. In the Assembly, his priorities include public safety, first-responder protections, education, veterans, seniors, families and strengthening the communities he represents.
Elect Dave Weber
for State Assembly District 12
David Weber Jr. is a third-generation Northport resident, small-business owner, firefighter and Northport Village Trustee running for New York State Assembly District 12. His local-government responsibilities have included highways, parks, docks and waterways, commerce and wastewater treatment. Weber brings together experience in small business, municipal government and volunteer fire service.
His priorities include public safety, supporting first responders, affordability, infrastructure, local businesses and maintaining strong community services for Long Island families.
Your Vote.
Your Voice.
Your vote is your voice to support the men and women who put it all on the line to keep you and your family safe.
Voting for issues and candidates endorsed by the Long Island Law Enforcement Foundation is one simple way you and your family can show your support and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our public servants and protectors.
vote early • Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 • election day • tuesday, nov. 3
Re-Elect Vincent Puleo for Suffolk County Clerk
Vincent Puleo serves as Suffolk County Clerk, overseeing one of the county’s largest collections of public, property and court records. His administration has focused on modernizing access to records, improving customer service and protecting homeowners from property fraud.
The Clerk’s Office operates the Homeowner’s Watch List, known as HOWL, which alerts participating property owners when certain land records are filed involving their property. Puleo has emphasized modernization, accessibility and safeguarding the integrity of Suffolk County’s public records.
Elect Dan Losquadro for Suffolk County Comptroller
Daniel Losquadro is a longtime Suffolk County public official currently serving as Brookhaven Town Superintendent of Highways. His public-service career also includes service in the Suffolk County Legislature and New York State Assembly.
As Highway Superintendent, Losquadro oversees one of the largest municipal road systems in New York State and has focused on infrastructure modernization, emergency response, shared municipal services and fiscal management. His background combines state, county and town government experience with responsibility for managing large-scale public works and taxpayer-funded operations.
vote early • Oct. 24 - Nov. 1 • election day • tuesday, nov. 3