Red-bearded activist runs for Troy City Council

Staff Writer

Democrat Anasha Cummings is hoping to be elected to the Troy City Council this November, and he is running an unconventional campaign.

In an effort to make himself more approachable and relatable, throughout his campaign Cummings has released a series of whimsical, yet informative videos that are full of pop culture references. With an appearance that could only be described as a red-haired version of Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies, Cummings has used the image of his red beard to market his campaign.

In keeping with his Hagrid-like appearance, Cummings advocates for eating chocolate to “keep the Dementors away.”

Cummings came to Troy in 2008 to attend RPI, where he studied Design, Innovation and Society. Since then he has been involved in numerous efforts for the city to convert to various forms of renewable energy, saying, “Not only are they better for the environment, but they also drastically reduce the cost of living,” and, “Cities like Troy were built on hydro power. It’s time to see us return to that.”

“There are very few national issues that cannot be solved on the local level. However, local politics can be rather intimidating,” Cummings said. In an effort to resolve this issue, he plans to make information more accessible to potential voters via the Internet. He is also working on launching an app for the same purpose. “Municipalities need to modernize,” he said.

Political activism is very important to Cummings’s campaign, and he has registered over 100 voters since his campaign began. He said, “Local government, like any government, only works when its citizens are politically active and aware.”

To learn more about Cummings and his campaign, visit his website at anashaest.com.