Albany Common Councilor and Public Defender Gabriella Romero is among a number of candidates running for the state Assembly's 109th district seat.
Romero, an attorney in the Albany County Public Defender's office, officially kicked off her run for Assembly Tuesday night before an enthusiastic crowd of supporters at the Lark Tavern.
Romero joins a crowded race field of candidates vying for the 109th seat being vacated by Pat Fahy, who is now running to replace 14-term Senator Neil Breslin, a fellow Democrat, in the 46th District. Born and raised in Albany, Romero traces her interest in public service back to her parents.
“My parents, committed public servants, taught me that I have a commitment to my community and to my family. My parents taught me that I have to always stand up really courageously and intensely, with my chest puffed out no matter what. But my parents also taught me that there's no better and higher calling, than to be a public servant. No surprise to anyone that I became a public defender. And for those of you that don't know what that means, I am an attorney that represents people in criminal court that can't afford to hire their own lawyer,” Romero said.
The Albany Law School graduate was elected to the council in 2021 representing the 6th ward, which includes the Center Square neighborhood. No stranger to a crowded ballot, Romero feels confident heading toward the June 25th Democratic primary, having fended off primary challenges from four others in the race for her council seat with nearly 47% of the vote.
“And I joined the Common Council, and we did a lot of really great work," said Romero. "Especially here on Lark Street. We created a first of its kind program to address mental health and the unhoused population. And we did so in an empathetic way. We did so by going to people and saying ‘what do you need? We have someone here that's going to help you with physical health, mental health housing.’ And in that moment, in that small summer, where we created this pilot program, we started a transformation within this district. We started looking at people that were unhoused and saying ‘how can we directly connect you to services?’ And I'm really proud that that proven program that was piloted in this district is something that we got $1.8 million for to be started this spring across Albany County.”
Romero adds she's had a hand in creating and passing bills that have increased transparency, dealt with absentee landlords and legalized skateboarding citywide.
As well as running as a Democrat, Romero is the chosen candidate of the Working Families Party. Jasmine Gripper is co-director of the Working Families Party in New York State.
"The party is here to continue to support Gabriella, as she steps into a new role. We are going to all work together to do our part to make sure she goes to higher office," said Gripper.
Romero says while she's proud of her accomplishments as a council member, she feels "a calling for something more."
“Let me tell you what I want to do, because there's a lot. There's a lot of work and I'm excited to do it. It's so unaffordable to even live right now. Rents increasing, gas increasing, price of food is increasing. It's difficult to even purchase a home. As a young person, I'm scared. I'm not sure how we'll be able to save enough money to put down a down payment. You need a fighter to make sure to increase the minimum wage to $25 an hour. We need a fighter that's going to make sure that healthcare is free and accessible. We need a fighter to make sure that everyone has access to childcare so they can work and thrive,” Romero said.
Other candidates in the field so far include fellow-councilors Sergio Adams of the 7th ward, Jack Flynn of the 8th, Owusu Anane of the 10th and Ginnie Farrell of the 13th. Three Albany County Legislators are also running: Sam Fein of the 6th district, Andrew Joyce of the 9th and Dustin Reidy of the 30th.
