Gallagher is a longtime community advocate in Greenpoint. Her platform focuses on environmental justice,improving infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists,reliable public transit,fighting corporate greed,strengthening tenants rights and building social housing.[1] She identifies as a Democratic Socialist.
Early life
Gallagher grew up in a suburb of Rochester,New York,and moved to Greenpoint,Brooklyn shortly after graduating from Ithaca College in 2006.[2] Before running for office,she worked as a museum educator and a non profit community affairs director.
Politics
Gallagher became involved in politics while attending Ithaca College in 2002. After moving to Brooklyn in 2006,she became deeply involved in neighborhood organizing especially around tenants rights and environmental justice,and eventually came to know many local players and issues in the community over a decade of grassroots participation. At the time,Gallagher was uninspired by local politics because she was unimpressed with status quo politicians,who often waffled with advocates,saying one thing and doing another,and she craved to see elected officials use their power to advance social justice. In the hopes that she could support such politicians,she began to reconsider her position,becoming involved with the Brooklyn political organization New Kings Democrats.[3] In 2016,New Kings Democrats approached Gallagher to consider a run for District Leader.[3] Gallagher ran for Democratic leader of New York's 50th State Assembly district against 32-year incumbent Linda Minucci.[4] She was endorsed by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez and New York City Council Member Antonio Reynoso,[2] but ultimately lost with 44.9% of the vote.[5]
Community Board
Gallagher was soon after appointed to Brooklyn Community Board 1,where she worked on transportation issues,the environment,and uncovering community board abuses.[6] As a community board member,Gallagher learned that the City had provided grant funding for community engagement. After several months trying to trace the money,the Board Chair Gerald Esposito admitted that the $26,000 had been spent to buy a RAV-4 SUV to “To go different places,”[7] She was then removed from the board the following year by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
No North Brooklyn Pipeline
During her tenure on the board,Gallagher was approached by a group of local activists known as Sane Energy Project,lead by activists Kim Fraczek and Lee Zeische.[8] They had become aware that National Grid,the publicly traded utility company that serves the New York region with fracked gas,was surreptitiously building a pipeline through Brooklyn. Sane Energy had been involved in the campaign to end fracking in New York State,a fight that Gallagher had been passionate about. Sane Energy said that the North Brooklyn Pipeline,called "The Metropolitan Reliability Pipeline Project" by National Grid,was designed to stretch from Brownsville through East New York,Bushwick,Williamsburg and ending in Greenpoint. Sane Energy suggested that this pipeline was an effort to find a use for extraneous fracked gas from the Marcellus pipeline in Pennsylvania. [9] Furthermore,National Grid was asking the Public Service commission for
"A charge of $185 million to rate-payers in order to finish the current pipeline phase under construction in Bushwick. Pipeline construction would continue north into East Williamsburg and Greenpoint (other sections of Brooklyn)
$23 million to replace two old vaporizers at National Grid's Greenpoint LNG facility
$54 million to add two new vaporizers to the Greenpoint LNG facility
$31.5 million over the next 4 years to add “portable LNG capabilities at the Greenpoint site that will allow LNG delivered via truck to on-system injection points.”National Grid is currently seeking a variance from New York City for permission to bring LNG trucks onto city property. Currently,this sort of activity is illegal due to high risk of fires and explosions."[9]
Working with local advocates,anti-fracking activists,and a multiracial coalition of concerned citizens from across the proposed pipeline's route including future councilmember Sandy Nurse,Gallagher prepared questions to confront National Grid at the Community Board meeting. This greatly angered National Grid,who denied all accusations and gave non-answers to the questions about Liquified Natural Gas and the pipeline. The reality was that National Grid was constructing the pipeline before the rate case had been approved,spending money they did not yet have in order to encourage the Public Service Commission to approve their rate raise.[10]
To stop the pipeline,Gallagher joined an enormous group of advocates on a gas bill strike and other tactics that included direct action,protesting even on the coldest days of the winter in negative temperatures. [11] Sane Energy joined forces with the Cooper Park Tenants Association,the Brownsville Residents Green Committee and Newtown Creek Alliance to become the No North Brooklyn Pipeline Coalition. Construction continued on the pipeline,but the advocates knew that if they could prevent it from being connected in Greenpoint,the pipeline would become a stranded asset and would not be filled with the dangerous chemicals threatening the health and safety of the community. [12]
In 2021,the PSC denied the rate case after receiving more than 8,000 comments,and the Pipeline construction was halted. [10]
New York State Assembly
On September 23,2019,Gallagher launched a campaign against incumbent Joe Lentol for the Democratic primary to represent District 50 in the New York State Assembly.[13] Gallagher ran on a platform of environmental sustainability,housing justice,and transit improvement,and received endorsements from New Kings Democrats,New York Communities for Change and the Brooklyn Young Democrats.[2] A member of the BrooklynDemocratic Socialists of America,she sought their endorsement but did not receive it due to Brooklyn DSA's limited capacity and desire to focus on building power in working-class communities of color.[6]
Gallagher's team had to quickly pivot in March 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic necessitated a universal shut down. Their campaign pivoted to completely rely on phone banking,text banking,events on the video chat platform Zoom,and holding virtual fundraisers. Their campaign was run with 25-30 core volunteers.[3]
On primary election night,June 23,2020,Gallagher trailed Lentol by 1,763 votes based on in-person totals. Absentee ballots were more significant than usual,however,due to the COVID-19 pandemic,and once they were counted,Gallagher was determined to have won by between 400 and 600 votes.[14] In the final certified result,Gallagher won by 1,151 votes.[15]
On June 28,2022,Gallagher won the Democratic primary with 79.5% of the votes over Paddy O'Sullivan.[16]
On June 25,2024,Gallagher won the Democratic primary with 75% of the votes over Anathea Simpkins and Andrew Bodiford.[17]
Major Local Issues
McGuinness Boulevard Redesign
Mere months after taking office,on May 18 2021,beloved Greenpoint community member and local school teacher Matthew Jensen was killed by a super speeder in a Rolls Royce on McGuinness Boulevard,a major thoroughfare of Greenpoint known for its danger to pedestrians and cyclists. According to the NYC Dept of Transportation,between 2015 and 2019,229 crashes with injuries had been reported,as well as three deaths. The history of McGuinness Boulevard was even more dire-- since 1995,11 pedestrians and 3 cyclists had been killed on McGuinness Boulevard,and it was recorded that a crash occurred on McGuinness every other day. Days after Jensen's death,Gallagher called Mayor Bill DeBlasio and pitched that he invest the last of his Vision Zero money into a major redesign of McGuinness Boulevard. [18] On June 11,2021,Bill DeBlasio announced $39 million in capital funding to redesign the corridor.[19]
PTA parent Browyn Breitner and local advocate Kevin LaCherra founded the grassroots community group "Make McGuinness Safe," which was a coalition of parents,locals,and street safety advocates who steadfastly organized for the redesign to include a road diet. They petitioned local electeds including Gallagher,as well as Lincoln Restler,Julia Salazar,Kristen Gonzalez,Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez,to narrow the roadway to 2 lanes and install protected bike lanes with parking between the bike lane and the travel lane. By the end of 2021,they had gathered over 2,500 signatures. Gallagher held multiple community feedback sessions about DOT proposals for commentary from the community that were highly attended.[20] The final plan was released in May,2023 and work was slated to begin in September,2023.[20]
Gallagher had lived on McGuinness Boulevard for four years and had been advocating for a redesigned McGuinness Boulevard since 2012 after coauthoring a traffic study with her advocacy group Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG),was eager to support a robust street safety redesign. As she wrote later in Streetsblog,"...I lived at the Calyer Street intersection. Year after year,I attended Ghost Bike vigils,where my peers and I installed white bikes at the intersections where folks who we knew,who were all ages and races and employment backgrounds,had been killed by automobile drivers. I eventually moved over to Greenpoint Avenue,and later that year a pedestrian who was my age was killed crossing at the intersection where I had lived. My roommate saw his body get carted away. It was clear to me that McGuinness was deadly."[21]
Controversy
Eastern Greenpoint is home to a large network of film studios and other film and television businesses,including the influential company Broadway Stages. In the summer of 2023,a writers strike deeply impacted the film and television industry and many productions were put on hold. During this time,leadership at Broadway Stages became unhappy with the changes to McGuinness Boulevard,concerned that it would impact film productions filmed in the area. An organization was formed called,"Keep McGuinness Moving," that claimed to be supported by a wide variety of businesses and local residents. However,an investigative journalist found that over 2/3 of the businesses listed were owned,operated by or affiliated with the Argento family,the powerful family who own Broadway Stages.[22] The Argento family had close ties to the new mayor,Eric Adams,and personally lobbied his advisor,Ingrid Lewis Martin,to kill the street redesign.
Over the next year,there was a long fight between advocates for the redesign and proponents of it. During the summer and fall of 2023,intense negotiations happened between the political representatives of the community,who were for the road diet plan,and the detractors,who wanted to see the road stay at 4 lanes of traffic and without enhanced pedestrian crossings. In July 2023,Ingrid Lewis Martin encouraged Eric Adams to walk back the plan on McGuinness Boulevard,which was met with community outrage.[23] In August 2023,Eric Adams reverse course again,saying that he needed further "analysis," and attempted a "compromise plan." [24] The compromise was hated by both sides of the community.[25] The compromise added a bike lane to the northern section of McGuinness Boulevard near the Pulaski Bridge with some pedestrian enhancements,but the design ended at Calyer Street. The Make McGuinness Safe coalition,along with Gallagher and allies,continued to advocate for a more robust safety design and the road diet. [26]
Keep McGuinness Moving Promotes Challenger to Gallagher
In January 2024,Anathea Simpkins announced a primary challenge to Emily Gallagher,citing that the "community was not happy" with Gallagher,citing the controversy over the road diet. She was endorsed by Keep McGuinness Moving and Gallagher's predecessor,Joe Lentol.[27] She received financial support from Solidarity PAC,who were funded by Trump donors and Pro-Israel donors,whose aim was to primary progressive Democrats who had expressed sympathy with the treatment of Palestinians. [28]
The election was seen as a referendum on the McGuinness Boulevard redesign. Gallagher won with 75% of the vote. [29]
Make McGuinness Safe eventually got 10,000 signatures on their petition into the spring of 2024. In the September 2024,Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announced a corruption probe into Ingrid Lewis Martin,and she abruptly resigned. It was reported that the phone of a Broadway Stages executive was also seized.[30] In October 2024,the city reversed course again,saying that they would now be proceeding with the full road diet in the original plan south of Calyer Street. In December 2024,Ingrid Lewis Martin stepped down from her role in City Hall.
Bushwick Inlet Park
As an advocate with Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (NAG),Emily served as the Open Space Organizing Chair starting in 2008. During that time,she organized the first ever "Where's My Park?" rally that focused on the unfulfilled open space promises of the 2005 rezoning. Where's My Park? eventually spun off into its own group,later becoming the Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park. The parks that were opened as a result of the Where's My Park? advocacy include Transmitter Park and Barge Park. Gallagher continues to work with fellow electeds and advocates to complete Bushwick Inlet Park,which requires a number of state superfund clean ups and other city remediation commitments. [31]
Written by State Senator Brian Kavanaugh,introduced 2021,passed in the 2023 NY State Budget
The LLC Transparency Act
Written by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,introduced 2021,sponsored in the Senate by Brad Hoylman Segal,passed in 2024,signed by Gov Kathy Hochul
Adding Cyclist Safety to the Drivers Exam
Written by Senator Andrew Gounardes,introduced 2021,passed 2023
421-A Audit Act
Written by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,introduced 2022,sponsored in Senate by Brad Hoylman Segal,passed in the 2024 NY State Budget
SCOC Expansion Act
Written by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,introduced in 2021,sponsored in Senate by Julia Salazar,passed as part of the Omnibus Criminal Justice Reform Bill in 2025
Terry Cooper Autopsy Accountability Act
Written by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,introduced in 2025,sponsored in Senate by Julia Salazar,passed as part of the Omnibus Criminal Justice Reform Bill in 2025
Changes "addict" to "substance use disorder" in all legal and state language
Written by Assemblymember Emily Gallagher,introduced 2023,Sponsored in Senate by Natalia Fernandez,passed 2025
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