Lone Female Legislative Leader Left Out in the Cold

As the April 1 deadline to pass the state budget draws near, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is negotiating behind closed doors with the two men who lead the majority parties in the Senate and Assembly. But Cuomo is getting criticism for including a third man who is neither a majority nor a minority party leader in those private talks, while snubbing Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the only woman leader in the state legislature.

Stewart-Cousins, the Senate Minority leader, represents 24 Democrats. She has clamored for inclusion in the budget talks, but has yet to get an invitation. She said the decades-old tradition of three men negotiating the state budget excludes the millions of New Yorkers she and the members of her party represent. It also doesn't mesh with Cuomo’s advocacy for women’s issues.

During his cabinet meeting last month, Cuomo announced budget talks were set to begin and would include new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, who is black, and Senator Dean Skelos, the majority leader in the Senate. Cuomo also named Jeff Klein, who leads a group of five breakaway Democrats. Klein in the past participated in budget talks when he and Skelos shared leadership in the Senate. But this year, the Republicans have a clear majority lead by Skelos. Klein is no longer a co-leader, so Stewart-Cousins and other legislators said if Klein could negotiate with the governor, Stewart-Cousins should be able to as well.

“We continue to follow the broken tradition of three or sometimes four men in the room, hammering out massive state policy that impacts all New Yorkers without true and equal representation," she told a group of legislative leaders during what is known as the "mothership" meeting.

Stewart-Cousins said more than 10 million New Yorkers are not being represented in the talks because she is not there to express the views of her members.

In the same cabinet meeting last month, Cuomo discussed the obstacles women face, including pervasive inequality. His press office did not respond to questions from WNYC.

Assemblyman Brian Kolb represents 44 Republicans as the minority leader in the Assembly. His spokesman said if Klein is in the room, Kolb and Stewart-Cousins should be, too.