Candidate Profile 2024: MaryJane Shimsky Seeks Return To Albany

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — In 2024's general election, residents of the Hudson Valley will be voting for federal, state and local officials. In anticipation, Patch asked candidates in the region's contested races to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

MaryJane Shimsky has represented New York’s 92nd District, which includes most of the Town of Greenburgh, the Town of Mount Pleasant, and part of northwest Yonkers since 2022. She previously served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators.

She is hoping voters will return her to Albany in November.

Name - Mary Jane Shimsky

Town of residence - Dobbs Ferry

Education - Yale University, New York University Law School, City University of New York (PhD in History)

Age - 64

Occupation - Assemblymember

Campaign website, social media - https://shimsky4assembly.com/

Why are you seeking this office?

I have the energy, understanding, and experience to tackle the problems we need to move New York forward and help our residents, local governments, schools, and organizations thrive.

What are the significant differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have real, proven experience in government: over 11 years in the Westchester County Board of Legislators, and I am finishing my first term in the Assembly. I know what is involved in getting something done for Westchester’s working families – hard work, forging productive relationships with one's colleagues, and building winning coalitions.

The affordability crisis that is forcing many working New Yorkers to leave the State they love is less the product of taxes than soaring housing costs and price gouging by cartel-like megacorporations that control the prices of food, gasoline, and other necessities. After a false start in 2023, the State is working toward increasing housing supply responsibly, and I hope to be part of that solution.

Our schools don't need right-wing scolds determining what our children should think. We need an equitable funding formula to ensure our schools get the State aid they need to succeed and teachers get the compensation they deserve.

Climate change is already beginning to take a significant toll on our infrastructure and much of our housing stock. I was proud to work with my colleagues to pass the Climate Change Superfund Act this year, and I will work to reduce the number of greenhouse gasses warming our planet in a way that fosters economic growth.

I am proudly pro-choice and have been endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and the Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion-Choice Matters. I stand ready to do whatever it takes to protect the right to reproductive health care – unlike my opponent, who was rated anti-choice by WCLA.

Thanks to the hard work of our public safety officials, crime has seen a sharp decline in Westchester and New York State, but we still have a lot of work to do. Among the most crucial anti-crime measures we can take is reducing the number of guns in the wrong hands, which will take constant vigilance and new strategies because we must protect our people not just from gun violence but from a U.S. Supreme Court run amok.

While violent crime overall is down, hate crimes remain far too high. In addition to law enforcement, we as a government and a society must take a firm stand that no form of hate or bigotry is okay. We also need to do more to deal with the mental health crisis that is hurting our communities – the State must find incentives to increase the number of mental health professionals and the use of mental health crisis teams.

What other issues are you addressing during your campaign?

The need for voters to pass Prop 1, the New York Equality Act. The NY-ERA will protect abortion rights and close loopholes in the State Constitution to bar discrimination against people with disabilities, age discrimination, and other forms of discrimination against people for being who they are.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My record in the past two years I’ve served in the Assembly tells the tale: I passed 18 bills this term, including statewide laws improving food waste reduction and food scrap reduction, expanding the use of e-filing in our State courts, authorizing local governments to reduce property tax assessments on homes damaged or destroyed by climate change events, and various others authorizing our local government to do things to help our communities.

I have been successful in obtaining over $200 million in infrastructure funding to repair local roads Statewide and to fix crumbling bridges in the 92nd District (we still have a long way to go, but we are building the right coalitions to get the job done). I have also been collaborating with my colleagues to adopt landmark legislation like the Climate Change Superfund bill and protect public school funding.

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?

A tie, really: be prepared, trust your preparation, and listen to other people's stories.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

On issues like infrastructure, miracles do not happen overnight. This is one of the reasons, I believe, that many elected officials will not invest the work on it. However, our crumbling infrastructure will be one of the defining issues of the coming decades. I will work on it because these networks are needed for our economy and society.