State's 'first lady'
Stew-Cous to lead Senate
Albany’s days of “three men in a room” are over.
State Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) is set to be picked as the next Senate majority leader Monday — making her the first woman to lead a house of the state Legislature.
The ascendance of Stewart-Cousins will also mark the first time that both the state Senate and Assembly, which is run by Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx), will be headed by African-Americans.
“This is a historic moment,” said Brette McSweeney, president of Eleanor’s Legacy, a statewide organization that promotes the election of pro-choice Democratic women.
“It cannot be overstated how historic and important it is to have a woman — a black woman — at the table. It’s not three men in a room anymore.”
For decades, deal-making over the state budget and other major legislation has been hammered out behind closed doors by the governor, the Senate majority leader and the Assembly speaker, who were always male.
The shady practice of having “three men in a room” make the state’s most important decisions came under scrutiny amid recent corruption scandals that led to the convictions of former Majority Leaders Malcolm Smith and Dean Skelos and longtime Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“Why three men?” then-Manhattan US Attorney Preet Bharara asked while announcing charges against Silver in 2015.
“Can there be a woman? Do they always have to be white? How small is the room that they can only fit three men? Is it three men in a closet? Are there cigars? Can they have Cuban cigars now? After a while, doesn’t it get a little gamy in that room?”
Democrats regained control of the state Senate earlier this month, when voters elected a host of candidates who will give the party a 40-to-23 edge over the GOP next year.
Democrats currently outnumber Republicans 32 to 31, but state Sen. Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) had tipped the balance of power by siding with the GOP.
Democrats have long held the majority in the Assembly.
Since the Nov. 6 election, Stewart-Cousins — who has been minority leader since 2013 — has joked in interviews about how there would soon be “three persons in the room.”
McSweeney said Stewart-Cousins’ new majority-leader role is certain to put women’s issues — including sexual harassment and abortion rights — on the front burner in Albany.
Stewart-Cousins’ fellow Senate Democrats are scheduled to meet behind closed doors Monday, when they are expected to back her as majority leader.
The entire Senate will vote on its majority leader early next year.
State Sen. Shelley Mayer (D-Port Chester) said the elevation of Stewart-Cousins — coupled with the ouster of dozens of crooked politicians in recent years — signaled a fresh start for New York’s scandal-scarred government.
“We’re embarking on a new day,” Mayer said.
“I have incredible faith in Andrea’s integrity and her passion to doing the right thing and her commitment to public service.”