2024 is set to be a big election year overall (sorry if the reminder prompts some existential dread), and local politics are no exception. Anathea (Chartrand) Simpkins has filed to run for State Assembly in District 50, representing Greenpoint and Williamsburg, according to state campaign filings. Her team made the announcement on social media, inviting prospective voters to a campaign kick-off on Sunday.
According to her Facebook page, Simpkins currently serves as Associate Vice President at the non-profit Sandy Hook Promise.
She’s already earned the support from a known local group, Keep McGuinness Moving. “Anathea, a dedicated working mom and a passionate advocate for mental health and education, has been a dynamic force in Greenpoint for nearly 17 years,” the group wrote on Instagram. “Over this time, she has been a champion for working families, advocating for the resources necessary for our children to thrive in school and working with local schools to combat gun violence.”
The district’s incumbent, Assemblymember Emily Gallagher, was first elected in 2020 and fended off her first challenger, local firefighter Paddy O’Sullivan, in 2022. Gallagher comfortably won reelection with 80% of the vote.
For more context on Simpkins, read The City’s reporting on “Keep McGuinness Moving,” the group mentioned above as promoting her: https://www.thecity.nyc/?s=Keep%20mcguiness%20moving
It appears to be a “grassroots” (astroturf) stand-in for the politically connected Argento family who oppose safety improvements to McGuinness Blvd. to avoid any impact on their nearby business, Broadway Stages. This likely explains Simpkins’s candidacy (and funding), as Emily Gallagher is one of the leading voices for improved traffic safety in the district.