Smikle has youthful vision for Nassau County

Danielle Smikle, a 27-year-old educator, activist and first-time political candidate, says she is ready to lead and bring a millennial perspective to create meaningful change.

Running for a seat in the State Assembly to represent District 18, Smikle’s platform is built on education reform, community engagement and infrastructure development. Her candidacy is grounded in personal experiences that reflect the diverse needs of the district, which spans Freeport, Uniondale, Hempstead, Lakeview, and parts of Baldwin and Garden City.

Raised in Freeport since age 3, Smikle has deep roots in the district she hopes to represent. She is a teacher in the Academy Charter School in Uniondale, where she has helped create and implement programs to empower youth, especially in underserved communities. She took part in a software engineering boot camp to gain the skills to help students through coding education. She has brought that knowledge into the classroom, establishing an after-school coding program.

Smikle plans to introduce policies that expand STEM and STEAM curriculums in local schools, giving students practical skills while sparking their creativity and innovation. She understands that the future job market will emphasize technological literacy, and she is committed to ensuring that her community’s youth are not left behind.

“At the end of the day, you are going to be elite after you figure out what all this means,” Smikle said. “They have it in the other communities. Why can’t we have it here for our students?”

One of the core tenets of her platform is rethinking public safety and fostering more cordial relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. In her view, safety is built through trust and open communication, not intimidation. She advocates for police officers to be seen as active and engaged in local events.

“Community relationships with the police shouldn’t be based on intimidation,” Smikle said. “We need to return to the basics — knocking on your neighbor’s door, saying good morning, and creating bonds of good camaraderie. Having that open communication within the community, I think, would be a great start in fostering those relationships.”

Smikle is also pushing for greater access to mental health services in the district, recognizing that addressing the root causes of crime and conflict often requires addressing mental health issues.

Her campaign also focuses on infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on revitalizing downtown areas, improving roads, and ensuring environmental sustainability. She is deeply concerned about the ongoing water-quality issues in Uniondale and Hempstead, viewing them as emblematic of larger, systemic problems created by infrastructure neglect.

“It’s unacceptable that we wait until something breaks to fix it,” she said, drawing parallels between infrastructure and mental health. “Why don’t we check on these things routinely? Water is a basic necessity, and every community deserves clean, safe access.”

Smikle plans to prioritize regular maintenance of the district’s infrastructure. In areas like Freeport and Lakeview, she advocates for routine inspections and cleanup efforts to ensure the neighborhoods’ safety and aesthetic appeal. A key component of her approach to governance is ensuring that all voices are heard, particularly those of underrepresented groups.

“You can’t make policy in a vacuum,” Smikle said. “You need to be on the ground, listening to people’s concerns, whether it’s the elderly, the youth, or small-business owners. Sometimes the best ideas come from the people who are living these issues day in and day out.”