A controversial street safety redesign of McGuinness Boulevard that has polarized neighbors in Greenpoint looms large over the state Assembly primary race where incumbent Emily Gallagher, a progressive Democrat who ardently supported the measure, is facing a challenge from a political newcomer with ties to the plan’s opponents.
Anathea Simpkins, associate vice president of the gun violence prevention group Sandy Hook Promise, threw her hat into the ring for Assembly in January, and has out-fundraised Gallagher since, drawing $30,000 in donations over the past two and half months — more than twice what Gallagher raised in the same period. Some of her staunchest allies and donors are Greenpoint residents who’ve campaigned against the McGuinness safety upgrades.
Asked by THE CITY about her position on the street redesign, Simpkins said that while she wants safer streets for pedestrians and crosses McGuinness Boulevard regularly, she disagrees with the Department of Transportation’s current plan for the southern half of the street, which would remove a lane of traffic in either direction, creating a protected bike lane by using parked cars to buffer cyclists from traffic.
“I also have a lot of other concerns, safety concerns that are related to cutting down access on McGuinness Boulevard. It’s our major artery,” she said. “I also believe that there are a lot of possibilities for pedestrian safety as well as helping to prevent accidents between cars that haven’t been explored. They’re not mutually exclusive and I believe that it’s important to bring all of the people in the community to the table and be able to have these thoughtful, sometimes difficult conversations.”
Simpkins’ biggest donor thus far is Anthony Argento, the politically connected owner of the film production studio company Broadway Stages, campaign filings show. Argento, who helped orchestrate a campaign to pressure the DOT to walk back their plans to redesign McGuinness Boulevard, donated $3,000 to Simpkins’ campaign directly, while two businesses associated with Broadway Stages donated another $3,000.
Asked about Anthony Argento’s support, Simpkins said the race wasn’t about “one supporter or someone holding my puppet strings.”
“It’s really about the people of North Brooklyn and them having an advocate in Albany,” she said.
The Keep McGuinness Moving campaign itself has announced its support of Simpkins, regularly posting about her candidacy on their social media platforms and sending out emails on her behalf. Averianna Eisenbach, one of the group’s co-founders, is also running on a slate of candidates alongside Simpkins for female district leader in Greenpoint’s 50th Assembly district. A spokesperson for Broadway Stages, the Argentos and Keep McGuinness Moving didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Lyn Pinezich and Monica Holowacz, two other main opponents of the DOT’s redesign plan, have also donated to Simpkins’ campaign.
“There is so much more to my support of Anathea,” beyond her stance on McGuinness, Pinezich said in a text. “I’m a committed and active Democrat, and my support of her covers so many important issues like women’s rights, gun control, public schools, and very important to me are workers, small businesses, jobs and unions. But also important is that I want a representative who is willing to listen to all the voices in her community, not just the ones that agree with her.”
Simpkins “brings a fresh perspective to the table. Her passion for inclusivity and ensuring every voice counts speaks volumes,” Holowacz said.
Theatrical Teamsters Local 817, a trucking union involved in the local film and television industry that came out against the DOT’s redesign, has endorsed Simpkins. Most trucks passing through the neighborhood use other routes, according to a DOT study Hellgate reported, including Monitor Street, which Broadway Stages is currently trying to close off to the public so the company can connect two of its properties on either side of the street. The primary for state Senate and Assembly races as well as congressional seats takes place on June 25. And while Assembly members have no formal role in the street redesign process, which is overseen by the city’s Transportation Department, they do have a bully pulpit to advocate for changes to the plan.
Gallagher, for her part, said she was unfazed by the challenge, pointing out her campaign will likely qualify for public matching funds in the coming months under a new state program.
“I’m not concerned. I feel like I have a really strong connection with my district. Money has its uses, but there’s nothing quite like knowing your constituents,” Gallagher said, pointing out she won the seat in 2020 by edging out 47-year incumbent Joe Lentol even though he outspent her tenfold.
“It’s a minority of the community that’s upset by McGuinness redesign,” Gallagher continued. “It’s a small minority.”
‘Compromise Plan’
Last year THE CITY reported how the “Keep McGuinness Moving” campaign, an effort to get the Department of Transportation to walk back its planned safety upgrades to the treacherous boulevard, had ties to the Argento family, with dozens of LLCs on a list of businesses that opposed the plan connected to family members and Broadway Stages. Opponents argued the “road diet” would slow down truck traffic, send trucks on to residential streets and slow down first responders, among other concerns.
Ultimately that campaign was successful, in part. Under pressure from Ingrid Lewis-Martin, a top aide to Mayor Eric Adams, DOT withdrew its initial proposal to reduce the street from two lanes of traffic in either direction.
Argento is also a major supporter of Adams, with Broadway Stages donating between $30,000 and $100,000 to a nonprofit associated with Adams when he was Brooklyn President, according to city Conflict of Interest Board disclosures, in addition to more than $15,000 the Argentos gave to Adams borough president and mayoral campaigns since 2018.
DOT later came back with a compromised version of the plan in which the northern half of the street would keep two lanes of traffic and an unprotected bike lane, with a flex parking lane off hours, while the southern part of the street would lose a lane of traffic in each direction, with two parking lanes and protected bike lanes.
But even that compromised plan is still up in the air, Streetsblog reported. Last fall, the DOT said it was going to conduct additional analysis before redesigning the southern half of the boulevard this spring. Vin Barone, a spokesperson for DOT, said there are no planned changes to the compromise plan and also no update on when work on the southern half of the street will restart.
The northern half of the street has since been painted, in a fashion that managed to anger both bike lane advocates and opponents. Unprotected bike lanes on the busy street are regularly blocked by cars and trucks, sending cyclists into traffic lanes, while pedestrians still face difficult crossings.
The issue polarized Greenpoint residents and soured opponents of the plan against the neighborhood’s two progressive representatives, Councilmember Lincoln Restler and Gallagher, who were both staunch supporters of the DOT’s initial street redesign.
Proponents of the DOT’s plan for bike lanes on McGuinness, saw similar interests at play in the race for the local Assembly seat.
“We followed closely as Broadway Stages tried their pay-to-play technique when they sabotaged the McGuinness redesign. Now they’re doing the same to try to unseat a respected and incredibly successful Assemblymember in Emily Gallagher,” said Bronwyn Breitner with the Make McGuinness Safe campaign. “It’s a tremendous disappointment, but Greenpoint is not going to fall for it.”
‘A Fresh Optimistic Voice’
Simpkins announced her candidacy at Bar Bruno on Manhattan Avenue in January surrounded by supporters who included many key opponents of the McGuinness Boulevard redesign. Lentol, Gallagher’s former rival who also joined opponents of the street redesign at rallies and meetings last year, introduced her to the crowd of supporters.
Speaking to the audience, Simpkins distinguished herself from Gallagher, saying “you can stick with the status quo and the divisiveness undermining our community. Or you can lift up a fresh optimistic voice, ready to roll up her sleeves, to show up, to listen to your concerns.”
While McGuinness Boulevard has catalyzed opposition to Gallagher, other statewide and international issues also weigh over the primary race. Gallagher is a staunch supporter of “good cause” legislation that aims to protect tenants from exorbitant rent increases and guarantees lease renewal in most cases. The Real Estate Board of New York, which has lobbied heavily against good cause, will be hosting a meet-and-greet with Simpkins in mid-April.
Simpkins, who said she doesn’t yet have a stance on good cause, said she wasn’t aware REBNY was advertising an event with her. A spokesperson later said Simpkins had extended an invitation to meet with real estate brokers she was friendly with but that invite was misconstrued. She subsequently canceled the meet-and-greet after it was brought to her attention by THE CITY.
Gallagher has also called for a ceasefire in Gaza, while pro-Israel NY Solidarity PAC has endorsed Simpkins, though no spending on her behalf has been reported yet. The recently launched PAC has announced its support of other challengers to progressive Democrats and Democratic Socialists like Gallagher, New York Focus reported. Asked about her stance on the Israel and Gaza conflict, Simpkins described herself as a pacifist.
“I stand with our Jewish and Palestinian brothers and sisters here and abroad. I am for a ceasefire and for bringing the hostages home,” Simpkins said.
Laura Hoffman, 65, a lifelong Greenpoint resident and longtime environmental activist, said she hadn’t heard much about Simpkins beyond her opposition to the McGuinness plan.
“These street diets, they’re making it impossible for people who can’t take public transportation,” Hoffman said. “My husband and I are seniors. Our car is our legs. If we can’t get around the neighborhood that we fought for, what’s the point of the work that we did?”
But others, like longtime resident Steve Chesler, said he’d heard little about Simpkins and that most of the people he crosses paths with in the neighborhood seem satisfied with Gallagher’s advocacy in Albany.
“The street redesign is emblematic of a new generation of residents. When you’re imposing a lifestyle change on people, I understand they may feel disregarded or miffed by that. But change is difficult,” Chesler said. “That’s why I think people have to step back and see what it’s really all about. We can’t handle any more cars in this neighborhood.”