Tuesday, October 27, 2026
State Sen. Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick is seeking re-election to the 9th District, making public safety, affordability and support for volunteer firefighters central issues in her campaign.
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, a lifelong Malverne resident, an attorney, a CPA, a small-business owner and a mother of four, was elected to the Senate in 2022 after serving as a Malverne village trustee, deputy mayor, fire commissioner and police commissioner.
“I think that experience prepared me very well for being state senator,” she said.
Her experience in local government, Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said, shaped her approach to Albany, where, as a Republican, she serves in the minority.
“Being a strong advocate for the district you represent is very, very important,” she said. “What’s good for upstate is not necessarily good for Long Island, and vice versa.”
Public safety remains one of Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick’s top priorities. She continues to advocate for changes in New York’s bail laws, saying judges should have more discretion when determining whether defendants should be held.
“The first bill I introduced when I was a new senator was giving judges discretion to set bail,” she said. “We have a duly elected judge, and you have handcuffed him” by not allowing him to use his judgment.
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick also said the state must continue to invest in police departments. “We need to continue to support our men and women in blue,” she said. “Continuing to fund police departments with the equipment and the technology that they need is extremely important.”
She pointed to Nassau County’s public safety record as a model that could be replicated elsewhere. “Nassau County is the exception,” she said. “We are the safest county in America, and that does not happen by accident. It happens because our county executive has funded the police.”
Affordability is another major concern for Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, who said that New York’s spending and utility costs are placing increasing pressure on families and businesses. “We’re in an affordability crisis,” she said. “We cannot keep up with that kind of spending. We need to get a handle on spending.”
The state, she said, should begin by eliminating waste and examining programs that are no longer effective. “I believe it has to start from the top down,” she said. “We have to root out waste, fraud and abuse at our top level to bring down our budget.”
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick also wants greater state support for volunteer firefighters, whom she described as essential to communities across New York. “Volunteer firemen protect us throughout the state,” she said. “The state could never afford to provide fire protection if they had to pay those individuals.”
She criticized the state for providing just $20 million for volunteer firefighters while allocating similar amounts to other programs. “Our firemen deserve more funding than they got,” she said. “They’re out there; they’re volunteers. They do training, they go to calls, they deserve our support.”
Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick said she frequently hears from local fire departments about the need for capital funding and newer equipment. “They need the equipment needed to go fight these fires,” she said. “Those individuals are making sacrifices, and we need to support them.”
If re-elected, she said she intends to continue advocating for the district while working across party lines.
“I do believe it’s an honor to be in this position,” she said. “My duty is to keep my public safe, and to advocate for what the needs of the district are.”
