Lea Webb ‘04 is the incumbent representing the 52nd Senate District in the New York State Senate. Running for reelection as the Democratic and Working Families candidate, she is a graduate of SUNY Broome and Binghamton University. At BU, she worked as an educator, establishing diversity, equity and inclusion programs. She also served in the Binghamton City Council for eight years. Questionnaire responses have been lightly edited for clarity.
What motivated you to run for this position?
When I ran for New York State Senate, I promised to prioritize the needs of working families and to always lead with the well-being of the people first and foremost. Whether it is working to protect our reproductive freedom, improving access to public safety resources by securing more funding for gun violence prevention or supporting our first responders to enhance the safety of our communities.
How does your background and previous experience make you a strong candidate for this position?
I was born and raised in Binghamton and am a lifelong resident of the Southern Tier. In 2007, I was elected to Binghamton’s City Council, as the first Black person to serve on the council. I served the community for eight years, working to remove blighted properties, supporting their redevelopment into homes for her community and addressing food insecurity by establishing community gardens.
As a City Councilor, I passed legislation supporting equal pay for women, creating a city-based human rights commission, establishing a citywide climate action plan, and supporting small business development and job creation. I worked as an educator at Binghamton University in the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
In 2022, I was elected to represent the newly drawn 52nd Senate District, which includes all of Cortland and Tompkins Counties, and part of Broome County. I was sworn into office in January of 2024 as part of a historic class of incoming Democratic senators made up entirely of women for the first time in the 245-year history of the New York Senate.
I passed 43 bills through both houses during my first term, over 25 of which have already been signed into law. I serve as chair of the Senate Committee on Women’s Issues, where I works to pass legislation addressing a wide range of issues impacting women, including menstrual product accessibility, improved maternity health services, reinforced reproductive rights, enhanced protection against fibroids and ovarian cancer, and stringent measures to prevent human trafficking.
Why are you an ideal candidate for young voters and students?
I am a proud graduate of public schools and a first-generation graduate of SUNY Broome and Binghamton University. Before joining the Senate, I worked as an educator at Binghamton University, developing diversity and inclusion training and programs for faculty, staff and students to advance its goals of fostering diversity and inclusivity. I truly believe in the voices and leadership of the next generation, which is why I advocate for and support policies through the State Legislature that provides funding and other resources to our schools.
Polling has indicated that cost of living is a big concern, especially for young voters. What are your plans to address this?
Colleges and universities play a pivotal role in advancing our communities. I also recognize that there are challenges with affordability for students and their families. That’s why I sponsored legislation to expand access to the tuition assistance program. My bill that was passed increases the TAP award from $500 to $1,000. Additionally, in this legislative session we expanded the TAP program income eligibility levels. As an alum of EOP and other key programs that support student success, I have supported other legislation and practices such as improving access to food and other resources for students and their families.
How would you vote on Proposal No. 1 on the New York State ballot?
I am proud that one of my very first votes as a freshman Senator was on the second passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. This ballot measure would codify reproductive rights in our NYS constitution, protecting the right to abortion in our state constitution, in addition to ensuring equal protection from discrimination to women, LGBTQI+ individuals and many more New Yorkers. I fully support this in our state constitution.
What should be prioritized in the state budget?
Our region has been reeling from years of significant underinvestment, and un-doing that underinvestment takes time. I am committed to making our region and state more affordable by expanding housing for low and middle-income families, lifting up wages, continuing to invest in our public schools and supporting our small businesses.