The Democrats of New York’s 50th Assembly District (Greenpoint, Williamsburg) have found a new district leader in lifelong Greenpointer Kristina Naplatarski.
Naplatarski, who previously worked for the district’s assemblymember, Joe Lentol (D) and Councilmember Antonio Reynoso (D-Bushwick, Greenpoint, Williamsburg), asserted that becoming District Leader was “just a continuation” of her public service experience. She added that the district is fertile ground for grassroots community engagement.
“One of the things I love most about the place that I’m from is that it’s got this really kind of can-do spirit to it,” she said. “People being involved and engaged in their community and being able to roll up their sleeves and get to work and create a district that is good for everyone.”
Naplatarski asserted that more could be done to assist the district with “environmental remediation.” “North Brooklyn as a whole has long been a dumping ground,” she said. “We’re suffering from things like toxic oil flumes, we’ve got one of the most polluted waterways in the country in Newtown Creek.”
Her other major priority as District Leader will be housing. “We have really unprecedented development taking place here all across North Brooklyn, but at the same time, our city is facing a housing crisis and we are really facing an affordability crisis as well,” Naplatarski noted. “We need to make sure that we are able to fight back against reckless development and ensure that we are able to house folks in our community who truly, truly need affordable housing.”
She also proposed conducting outreach to diversify the Kings County Democratic Committee. “We must make sure that we have a robust county organization that is really able to not only include people who are representative of our communities, but to actually court that diversity right,” Naplatarski said.
When asked how her background uniquely qualified her to deliver on her goals, she reiterated her prior public service experience and deep connection to the district. “I grew up here going to local public schools,” said Naplatarski.
“I grew up here around the legacy of these fights that we are still fighting to this day. It is where my family is. It’s where I lay my head. It’s personal for me.”
Political party district leaders are unpaid positions but are crucial in helping to run polls on election day and to help serve government elected officials in having an ear to the ground in the district. Additionally, as Brooklyn is a one-party borough, Democratic district leaders hold great weight in screening judicial candidates.