Candidate Profile: Sarah Anker For Suffolk Legislature

LONG ISLAND, NY - Suffolk County residents will be hitting the polls next week to elect several local representatives.

In addition to local town and village races, residents should look into who will be running to represent one of the 18 legislative districts in Suffolk County. This year, Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 5.

In anticipation of the big day, Patch asked candidates in the contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Democrat Sarah Anker, 55, of Mount Sinai, is running for re-election as the Suffolk County legislator in the Sixth District, which includes Coram, Middle Island, Miller Place, Ridge, Rocky Point, parts of Mount Sinai, Shoreham, Sound Beach and Wading River.

Her opponent is Republican Gary Pollakusky.

Anker, who holds a bachelor of arts from St. Leo University, was first elected to the legislature in a special election in March 2011. She has three children.

Check out Patch's full Q&A with Anker below:

Patch: The single most pressing issue facing our community is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Anker: Fiscal Stability. We need to make government more efficient and continue to scale back on spending in general. The county receives sales tax revenue, that's why it's imperative that we support our local economy. I am working on creating an Ecotourism Hub in my district that will provide local businesses with tourism dollars, while preserving the character of the communities. The area, located at the north end of William Floyd Parkway in Shoreham, includes the Tesla Science Center, the RCA 6,000 acres of recreational open space, the 10-mile Rails to Trails Bike Path, downtown Rocky Point revitalization and BNL Discovery Park.

In addition, the opioid addiction crisis has greatly impacted the county. It has increased county spending for our law enforcement, the Health Department and the Department of Socials Services. I co-sponsored legislation to sue the pharmaceutical companies, who can be blamed for this opioid crisis, for hundreds of millions of dollars, that will provide financial relief for the millions of dollars that the county has used to address this crisis.

When I entered office in 2011, there was a massive deficit of $500 million. Since that time, the legislature has reduce the deficit and county spending by consolidating offices and services, reducing staff and increasing staff contribution to health care. Suffolk currently has a AAA bond rating on long term debt. We have made hard choices, but we have more work to do as we continue to reduce county expenses and pay off our debt, while staying under the 2 percent tax cap. I did not support the fee increases including the mortgage fee, alarm fee, and additional parks fees. It has been a challenge due to the 2009 recession and the fact that online shopping takes away from local sales tax revenue, but as your legislator I will continue to support conservative fiscal measure to address the county's fiscal challenges.

P: What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

A: Integrity, experienced and knowledge. I have decades of experience in bettering my community,I work across party lines and with all levels of government. Prior to being elected, I starting the not for profit Community Health and Environment Coalition (CHEC) to address the high cancer rates and advocated that our environment directly affects our health. My grandmother had died from breast cancer and my neighbors were also being affected. We advocated to the state to tell us what do. They did an investigation but did not give specific answers. We believed that the environment directly impacts our health.

And after the 9-11 tragedy, we have seen the long term exposure of toxic chemicals can do to our health. CHEC was successful in moving the New York State Health Department to investigate the area. I also worked with the community to create the North Shore Heritage Park and will be using that as a model to create a community park in Middle Island.

P: Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

A: In addition to fiscal stability I am prioritizing public safety. As chairwoman of the county’s Opioid Advisory Panel, I am working on all fronts of the addiction crisis including: education, treatment and law enforcement. I partner with residents and police to identify and address crime issues in my district, and I partner with all levels of government to address traffic and road safety concerns, from potholes to dangerous intersections.

In addition to the opioid health crisis, Long Island has some of the highest rates of cancer, which I feel are directly related to our environment. I support legislation that protects our ground water, increasings penalties for illegal dumping and as a founding member of Suffolk County’s Cancer Prevention and Wellness Committee, I create programs and provide resources to prevent cancer and diseases.

P: What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

A: Since being in office for the last eight years, I have been proactive in creating programs and projects that benefit Suffolk County including: creating a panic button for school districts called the SAVE (School Active Violence Emergeny) hotline, addressing the opioid epidemic as the Chairwomen of Suffolk County's Opiate and Heroin Advisory Panel, facilitating the 10-mile Rails to Trails Recreational Path, supporting thousands of acres of open space that will protect our drinking water, supporting for our senior citizen population by creating a scam alert website www.scpdscamalert.org, supporting our kids by creating a bullying awareness website www.suffolkstopbullying.org; supporting our veterans by producing a veterans resource guide, and working to provide attainable housing for our young adults by placing developments on or near college campuses, to name a few. Go to www.SarahAnker.com to see more.

P: The best advice ever shared with me was ...

A: I was told there are three words to get elected: walk, walk, walk. That was from Democratic Chairman Rich Schaffer regarding knocking on doors and getting to know your constituents. You need to listen to their concerns, and then most importantly, do something about it. Elected officials are public servants, meaning we work for the public and must be respectful and proactive in addressing their issues.

P: What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

A: I truly enjoy my job and I hope I can continue to earn your support. As the daughter of a Navy veteran and union worker, I respect those that have sacrificed and have given back to others. There's nothing more rewarding to hear the words "thank you" when assisting a resident with a concern. I am extremely persistent and respectful when addressing a concern. We all need to understand that we can be part of the solution to a problem, by identifying what we can all agree on and set that as the foundation to then move forward in tackling an issue.