Meet Emily Gallagher, the North Brooklyn Democrat Trying to Topple a 30-Year Incumbent

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — Emily Gallagher, 32, a Brooklyn-based activist and community organizer, has long aspired to serve as the female Democrat leader for the 50th district of the New York State Assembly.

So she assembled a volunteer base and hit the streets last spring — during which time she managed to snag enough signatures for a space on the Sept. 13 ballot.

(Quick state history refresher: In each Assembly district, voters from each political party elect one female and one male "district leader" to serve beneath the State Assemblyperson. District leaders are unpaid, and serve as community liaisons between the Assembly office and district residents.)

If Gallagher pulls ahead on Election Day, it will be the first loss in over 30 years for incumbent Linda Minucci, who has held the seat since 1984 and has come under accusations for regularly missing community board meetings.

Gallagher will be holding her final fundraiser/meet-and-greet event of the election season next Tuesday, Aug. 23, at Muchmores — a combination coffee shop, bar, music venue and laundromat located at 2 Havemeyer St. in Williamsburg. Tickets are $25 and up.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties have one female and one male representatives per Assembly district. The 50th district covers the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint, the Navy Yard and parts of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. In recent years, the area has seen a massive luxury real-estate boom.

Gallagher, who has lived in Greenpoint for the past decade, has made holding developers accountable a cornerstone of her long career as an activist. Since 2007, she's served as a board member and former co-chair of neighborhood activist group Neighbors Allied for Good Growth.

She's also made accountable development a cornerstone of her new political campaign. From the candidate's website:

The 50th district has and will continue to experience massive residential real estate construction since 2005. These new residences may help to solve our housing crisis in New York City, but recent history has demonstrated deep inequality. Many developers have received tax breaks and other incentives to develop in our neighborhood, and have left the promises of decent and inclusive affordable housing and open space unfulfilled. Less than 10% of the affordable housing promised to our community has been delivered. Currently, residents have less than 26 square feet per person, which is one of the lowest open space ratios per capita in all of New York City. Most of these new development sites are toxic from historic pollution and hazardous to human health, which has not been adequately remediated. Finally, we are suffering from crumbling roads, overwhelmed subway and buses, and dangerous intersections and truck routes. We need to be able to trust that those profiting off of our community's growth also contribute to our neighborhood's well-being.

To learn more about North Brooklyn's rising political star in person — and contribute to her underdog campaign — show up to Muchmores next Tuesay between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. In her own words: "This happy hour will include meeting and socializing with other people who really care about our neighborhood like I do. Join us!"

Lead image courtesy of friendsofemily.com