Helene Weinstein, New York’s longest-serving woman legislator, says goodbye

Assembly Member Helene Weinstein is saying goodbye to Albany after 44 years in office, and 42 of those years were spent in the same Sheepshead Bay office that she is slowly packing up, sorting through four decades of plaques, bill certificates, photos and other memories. In 1980, Weinstein was part of a small cohort of women in the state Legislature, and found herself a pioneer by virtue of that minority status. Year after year, she returned to the state Capitol, gaining seniority first as the first female chair of the Judiciary Committee and later as the first woman to chair the Ways and Means Committee. Now, she leaves office as the longest-serving woman in the history of the state Legislature. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

On how she’s feeling as she packs up her office.

It’s kind of bittersweet. I was elected very young and decided it was time. Somehow, I kidded (with) people about it that during COVID, I think they moved the capital further away from Brooklyn, because it just kept every year, it’s taking longer and longer to drive up there. I looked through the photos, and it’s sort of the gallery of my hairstyles and glasses over the years. I clearly made some mistakes in that regard, but it’s kind of nice to look around and see some of the photos. I’m not changing my cellphone. We’ll see in a year if I decide that’s a mistake. And then, clearly, a lot of memories. I wish I had some place to put all of this, to display all of it, but trying to be a little a little selective.

On getting stuff done in Albany.

I served with (Hugh) Carey, (Mario) Cuomo, (George) Pataki. Then we go really quick. So (Eliot) Spitzer, (David) Paterson, (Andrew) Cuomo. So things were always changing. I’d start each year with, in my head, with my legislative priorities. Years ago, shortly after I got to Albany, and I can’t quite remember who it was who told me, one of the senior members (said) that legislation is like wine. Sometimes it’s a Beaujolais and it’s ready within weeks of when you introduce it. And sometimes, it’s a fine wine that has to age for years. So I’ve had some legislative successes on bills, domestic violence legislation, that it took 20 years before it passed. I have a bill before the governor, hopefully before the end of the year, on wrongful death that I’ve (carried) for more than 30 years, that has passed the past two years and this governor vetoed. But I know – as opposed to, I think some of the members coming in – that things can take a while before you can have a good idea. Everybody can agree it’s a good idea, but it may take some time before you can convince the rest of the Legislature and the executive that this is something we should do. The legislation that I passed on taking domestic violence into account on child custody, I’ve had two different women, (and) a number of letters, but two different women saying to me that it changed their life. When I was elected, I think I may have been the only woman attorney. And I really liked working on legislation. I’ve always been very active on the legislative front, and that’s been extremely rewarding also to know that passing things that have legislation enacted that can make a difference in people’s lives.

On her biggest legislative accomplishments.

I would say, the dramatic changes in how domestic violence is viewed. A number of laws that we changed, major change, in 1994, when the courts really recognized domestic violence as a crime and not a dispute between two people. Several different bills relating to new laws relating to domestic violence that really protected women. There’s still a little more we need to do, but over the years, we’ve done a tremendous amount. Before I chaired the Judiciary Committee, I was able to work on legislation that now is law on child support guidelines, because we’re finding that after divorce, separation, women and children were tremendously economically disadvantaged. So having guidelines for the noncustodial spouse to pay funds was a tremendous change in a law. Early on, along with (then-state) Sen. Norman Levy from Long Island, legislation for banning (discrimination against women at) private clubs that have used tax deductions for their members. So the Fort Orange Club (in Albany), for example, used to only have male members. Golf courses that didn’t allow women members or gave women members bad tee times. I passed – this could go on for a while – probably in the early ’90s legislation prohibiting junk food in school vending machines. I actually was a popular Assembly member when we passed that, because the candy companies were sending into the chamber their chocolate bars and other things to show me that they were really nutritious. So I had a drawer full of snacks for colleagues. Those bills were passed with a Republican Senate. So it was harder to pass legislation when we didn’t have the situation we have now, with a Democratic Senate. We were able to pass a tremendous number of measures to protect homeowners facing potential foreclosure. We were able to pass the wrongful death legislation, now called the Grieving Families Act.

On the presence of women in the Legislature.

When I was elected, there were only – five women got elected in our class and we almost doubled the number of women in the Assembly. I found that myself in particular, but other women also, but myself as an attorney, worked on the same issues that the handful of women who came before have worked on: Family issues, child support, helping to protect women, helping child care issues. That somehow these issues have sort of (been) deemed women’s issues, which really are everybody’s issues, it was really the women who were the ones who championed them. At one point, I chaired the Women’s Caucus, which I helped found. We did a history of the women of the Legislature. (It) was kind of thin before our class got elected. But you can see that going back to the first women elected, 1918 or 1919, issues of child care (and) conditions of women working (were) issues that they focused on. Now I think women members are not resigned to only working on issues affecting women, and male colleagues also work on issues that affect women and children and families. So things I think are easier for some of my female colleagues, in terms of being there aren’t issues about being accepted or not accepted, and our numbers certainly have grown.

On breaking glass ceilings and the changing culture in Albany.

I don’t think I was appointed (to the Ways and Means Committee) because I was a woman. But I think it helps, particularly for some of the younger women, some of the women who come there as students, as interns, that it helps them understand that this is something that they can do. I think that’s really important that people see my role in these positions and know that that’s something that, regardless of your gender, is achievable. One of our biggest achievements, some of the women’s biggest achievements – sometimes it gets laughed. But when Cathy Nolan got elected, the first thing I showed her was that the bathroom off of the chamber is now, we open the door and the men’s room is to the side and the women’s room is in front of you. When I was elected, up until the early ’80s, there was only a men’s room outside of the Assembly chamber. You had to walk out in the hall, past the State Library, and there’s a ladies room by the doors by the Senate, and that’s where we had to go. This is before they were really computer systems and videos. So we had, like, a buddy system, and you’d have to tell another woman that you’re going to the bathroom because if you wanted to vote, particularly if you wanted to vote “no” on a fast roll call, you had to tell somebody. (There was) a certain budget (meeting) that Democratic and Republican women came out and left the chamber and sat around outside of the speaker’s office, which at that time with Stanley Fink, and Mario Cuomo comes out, and Mario says to Stanley, “Oh, I think it’s a Women’s Caucus meeting.” And Stanley rightfully recognizes, he says, “No, I think it’s women’s interaction.” And it was after that that we were finally granted the right to bring in the architects to divide up the large men’s room into a ladies room and a men’s room. At first there were only going to be two ladies’ room stalls, and we said, “I think we’re going to need more over time.” It’s not unique to the Assembly. Lots of legislative buildings didn’t have women’s restrooms. I wouldn’t say the ladies’ room was one of my biggest accomplishments, but in some ways it was one of the bigger recognitions that the women in the Assembly are here to stay and we’re going to grow. I don’t want to sign saying “The Weinstein Memorial Toilets,” but it’s nice to know that they wouldn’t have to walk down the hall and have to come back to change a vote.

On gaining seniority.

I wasn’t looking for it I guess I would say. (I was) very involved in legislation, writing legislation, working on legislation. Never thought I’d be there this long, that I’d go from the junior member to now being the senior member, the (most) senior woman that’s ever served. And I think it’ll be a long time before someone breaks that record. But it’s certainly been an exciting time chairing Ways and Means. I guess I’ve had a special affinity to try and help some of the newer women members be able to navigate the capital, navigate the system. My sister always complains that she can’t gossip with me because I don’t have a bad word to say about anybody. I’m not planning to change, but I think she’s kind of right. But each day, when I walk into my office in the Capitol, the Ways and Means office, and sort of like, really, who knew this was going to happen? Who could have predicted? And every so often I have to pinch myself that this is really what I’ve been able to accomplish. When I graduated college and law school, I really liked government, and thought I’d be a staffer for somebody. Never thought I’d get elected, never thought I’d end up in a position where I could really make dramatic changes.