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The Ithacan

42° Ithaca, NY
The Student News Site of Ithaca College

The Ithacan

The Student News Site of Ithaca College

The Ithacan

NY Assembly member

Updated as of Nov. 5: Lindsay Lustick Garner, a real estate broker in Ithaca, announced a write-in campaign challenging Assemblymember Anna Kelles on Oct. 24. Garner is a registered Democrat and her priorities include affordable housing, better payment for teachers and lowering crime rates.

Assemblymember Anna Kelles is running  for reelection in New York State’s District 125. Kelles’ district includes Tompkins County and the southwest part of Cortland County. She was first elected in 2020 and then again in 2022. Assemblymembers are elected every two years and because they have no term limits, Kelles is able to run for the position a third time.

Kelles is a Democratic candidate and has advocated for environmental protection, women’s rights, accessible health care and criminal justice reform. Before becoming an assemblymember, Kelles attended Binghamton University where she graduated in 1997 with bachelor’s degrees in biology and environmental studies. She then went on to earn her doctorate in nutritional epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2008. After getting her Ph.D. she taught sports nutrition at Ithaca College from 2008–09.

Kelles has a background in environmental studies and public health, and she advocates for protecting the health of the people and nature in her district. Kelles said she supports the New York Health Act and aims to speed up the progress on the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Economy

During her time as an assemblymember, Kelles has worked to provide small business owners with extra aid. According to Kelles’ campaign website, she has sponsored legislation that provides matching grants to small businesses under the small business innovation research program or the small business technology transfer program. She has also sponsored legislation that provides tax credit for small businesses employing a person who has previously been convicted of a crime.

Health care

Kelles’ primary focus when it comes to health care is on mental health and the health of incarcerated individuals. During her time as an assemblymember, Kelles has sponsored legislation that requires training for teachers, administrators and instructors in the area of mental health response. She has also sponsored legislation that prohibits improper treatments of incarcerated individuals from health care professionals.

Environment

In regard to the environment, Kelles supports preservation and restoration. According to her website, Kelles has sponsored legislation that allows the Department of Environmental Conservation to add to lists of prohibited and regulated invasive species on an emergency basis and requires fashion sellers to be accountable to standardized environmental and social due diligence policies.

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