Velmanette Montgomery
Montgomery in 2020
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 25th district
In office
January 1, 1985 – December 31, 2020
Preceded byAnna V. Jefferson
Succeeded byJabari Brisport
Constituency22nd district (1985–92)
18th district (1993–2012)
25th district (2013-2020)
Personal details
Born (1942-12-22) December 22, 1942 (age 81)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseWilliam Walker
Children1
ResidenceClinton Hill, Brooklyn
Alma materNew York University
Columbia University
WebsiteOfficial website

Velmanette Montgomery (born December 22, 1942) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented the 25th district of the New York State Senate from 1984 until 2020. The district comprised Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Gowanus, and Park Slope, among other neighborhoods located within the borough of Brooklyn.

Early life and career

Montgomery was born in Houston,[1] but relocated to New York City to attain a master's degree in education from New York University.[2] She later became a Revson Fellow at Columbia University.[3]

Prior to elected office, Montgomery worked as a teacher, adjunct professor, and day care director as well as the cofounder of the Day Care Forum of New York City.[4] She has also served as president of Community School Board 13.

In 1991, Montgomery was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws from St. Joseph's College.[5]

New York Senate

Montgomery was first elected in 1984, succeeding Anna V. Jefferson, who did not run for re-election that year.[6] She has been re-elected seventeen times, never facing serious opposition. Montgomery has never lost an election.[7]

In the Senate, Montgomery is the Chair of the Senate Committee on Children and Families. She is a reproductive rights advocate, sponsoring legislation on the topic,[8] and a longtime nurse practitioner advocate. She was an original sponsor of legislation to legalize needle exchange programs to stop the spread of AIDS,[9] wrote the law banning female genital mutilation, and sponsored a current law that prohibits the discrimination in the granting of funeral or bereavement leave to workers in committed same-sex relationships.[10]

In 2013 Montgomery was secretly recorded at the home of then-Senator Shirley Huntley, as revealed in a federal corruption probe of Huntley. The probe centered around former Senator Huntley who pled guilty to embezzling over $87,000 in taxpayer money.[11] Montgomery was never accused of wrongdoing in the probe.[12]

In 2019, Montgomery was elected Majority Conference Secretary.[13]

On January 11, 2020, Montgomery announced that she would be retiring from the State Senate and not seeking reelection in 2020. She endorsed Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright in her retirement announcement.[14]

References

  1. ^ "New York 25th District State Senate Results: Velmanette Montgomery Wins". The New York Times. 2017-08-01. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  2. ^ "Brooklyn Lawmaker Apologizes For 'White People Don't Eat The Way We Do' Remark". 2015-02-24. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  3. ^ Travers, Suzanne (18 June 2014). "New Scrutiny of City's Library Trustees". City Limits. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  4. ^ "LaGuardia Community College's Early Childhood Learning Center Programs Celebrate Their 30th Anniversary – CUNY Newswire". Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  5. ^ "Senator Montgomery, Assemblyman Mosley, St. Joseph's College, Sigma Gamma Row Inc. and the YWCA of Brooklyn sponsor Back To School Giveaway". NY State Senate. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 22 - D Primary Race - Sep 11, 1984". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  7. ^ "Our Campaigns - Candidate - Velmanette Montgomery". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  8. ^ "NY State Senate Bill S4325". 2015-10-03. Retrieved 2016-07-13.
  9. ^ "New York State Senator will be Recognized as the Seventh Annual Atlantic Avenue Ambassador". Atlantic Avenue LDC. 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  10. ^ "State Senator Velmanette Montgomery's Legislative Report". NY State Senate. 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  11. ^ Kaplan, Thomas; Rashbaum, William K. (2013-05-03). "Ex-Senator Shirley Huntley Recorded Elected Officials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  12. ^ "State Sen. Velmanette Montgomery Named in Federal Investigation". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2016-08-21. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  13. ^ "Senate Leadership". NY State Senate. 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
  14. ^ "Long-time Brooklyn state Senator Montgomery declines 2020 run, gives nod to rising star | amNewYork". 12 January 2020.

External links

Media related to Velmanette Montgomery at Wikimedia Commons

New York State Senate Preceded byAnna V. Jefferson New York State Senate 22nd District 1985–1992 Succeeded byMartin M. Solomon Preceded byDonald Halperin New York State Senate 18th District 1993–2012 Succeeded byMartin Malave Dilan Preceded byDaniel Squadron New York State Senate25th District 2013–2020 Succeeded byJabari Brisport Preceded byCarl Kruger Chairwoman of the Committee on Children and Families 2009–2010 Succeeded byPatrick Gallivan Preceded byCarl Kruger Chairwoman of the Committee on Social Services 2009 Succeeded byDaniel Squadron
Members of the New York State Senate
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