Danielle Samantha Smikle R

BACKGROUND

• Smikle, 28, of Freeport, is a registered Republican and is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines in the general election. She has lived in Freeport since emigrating from St. Ann, Jamaica, when she was 3 years old. 
• She holds a bachelor’s degree from Canisius College in Buffalo and is a high school teacher and college and career counselor at Academy Charter School in Uniondale. She also co-owns Gifted by Gigi, a candle and homegoods business she runs with her mother.
• She is an active member of Shiloh Baptist Church in Rockville Centre.

ISSUES

• Smikle said she wants to address rising housing costs and property taxes to ensure working and middle-class families can afford to remain on Long Island. She also wants to address zombie homes.
• She wants to protect school funding and expand mentorship and after-school opportunities for students.
• Smikle also said she wants to reduce the tax burden of small businesses and create incentives to enable entrepreneurs to grow their small businesses.