My name is Carla Simpson. I am a PTA mom, community leader and a longtime resident of Suffolk’s 10th Legislative District.
Over 30 years ago, my family left Brooklyn to raise me and my three siblings in Hauppauge, given their value of the suburban environment. My parents and grandmother encouraged me to work hard in school. Thanks to their help and my determination, I was able to graduate from Hauppauge High School at the top of my class and attend Dartmouth College, the first in my family to pursue a college education. I then went on to successfully complete the MBA program at Columbia University, an endeavor I undertook all while pregnant with my daughter, Ava. Even while sitting in the lecture halls of some of our country’s most prestigious universities, I never doubted I’d return home to raise my family in this district. Dense urban areas can be fun places to work, play, and, for some, live, but I’ve always valued our suburban way of life and knew it was the best place for my family. In running for Suffolk County Legislature, one of my core priorities will be to make sure that our suburban lifestyle is preserved and that our landscapes will not be destroyed by overdevelopment.
I’ve spent most of my life in the real estate business industry, garnering experience in large financial and law firms, and most recently, serving as Vice President at Capital One. I also founded my own business, Heights Realty Investment Group, and was featured as Woman in Real Estate by Globe St. Magazine. In running for office and preparing to serve this community, I’ve stepped down from my position at Capital One and am ready to devote myself fully to public service.
As a parent and community member, I’ve been involved in community service for years, including extensive work in our schools and with our young people. In serving as a PTA President, Secretary of the Hauppauge Educational Foundation and a Girl Scouts Leader, my driving force has always been the future of our children. I also serve as an Executive Board Member of the Central Islip Civic Association where I advocate for our community needs that are often unmet by our government, an issue which I plan on rectifying if elected. As an Executive Board Member at the Long Island Housing Partnership and Housing Chair for the Islip Town NAACP, I have gained a deep understanding of housing as an issue in our community and how best to meet the concerns and needs of the district in crafting housing policy and solutions. In serving as the Secretary for the Azurest Property Owners Association, I’ve garnered experience in fighting to preserve a community’s character and history and stopping overdevelopment. As a New York State Court Appointed Special Advocate, Legislative Chair at the Jack and Jill of America Suffolk County chapter, and Executive Board Member of the Urban League of Long Island, I’ve become cognizant of the needs of our most vulnerable and how government can best be of assistance in creating equity in our community. I also serve as Treasurer and Public Policy / Advocacy Chair at the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Suffolk County Chapter and as a member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association and of the Long Island Association.
I’m running for office not to benefit myself, but to build a better community for us all. We are capable of meeting the housing needs of our population without engaging in overdevelopment and giving kickbacks to developers who want to build up our neighborhoods. Our government can be far more transparent and I intend to continue Tom Cilmi’s fight to make our county budget process less opaque by opening up the hearings to the public and, further, scheduling them at hours when working people are able to attend. I’m ready to advocate for the community when it comes to red-light cameras, which disproportionately impact lower income communities and people of color. I’ll always be an advocate for our children and schools and will fight to get them the best possible quality education and community support. I firmly believe in good governance and the power of government to improve communities. I know that the best way to solve problems is to bring everyone to the table and bring people together around community-oriented solutions. I will make sure that government is an inclusive place where all voices, especially those historically unheard in government, are represented. If you elect me as your Suffolk County Legislator, I promise to do all I can to make government work for you
I’m Carla Simpson, a PTA mom, community leader, and longtime resident of Legislative District 10. Thirty years ago, my parents chose to leave Brooklyn and raise me and my siblings in Hauppauge as my family highly values the suburban environment. With their support, I was able to become the first in my family to attend college, graduating from Dartmouth and Columbia, and am now raising my daughter, Ava, in the very same community that raised me over three decades ago. I’m ready to fight overdevelopment and protect the communities that helped to build my future. I have one goal in running to represent our community: making government work for us all.