The 187th New York State Legislature, consisting of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

and the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Assem ...

, met from January 7, 1987, to December 31, 1988, during the fifth and sixth years of

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as ...

governorship A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, in Albany.

Background

Under the provisions of the

New York Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1938 and the U.S. Supreme Court decision to follow the

One man, one vote "One man, one vote", or "one person, one vote", expresses the principle that individuals should have equal representation in voting. This slogan is used by advocates of political equality to refer to such electoral reforms as universal suffrage, ...

rule, re-apportioned in 1982 by the Legislature, 61 Senators and 150 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts for two-year terms. Senate and Assembly districts consisted of approximately the same number of inhabitants, the area being apportioned contiguously without restrictions regarding county boundaries. At this time there were two major political parties: the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and the Republican Party. The

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, the Right to Life Party, the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, the

New Alliance Party The New Alliance Party (NAP) was an American political party formed in New York City in 1979. Its immediate precursor was an umbrella organization known as the Labor Community Alliance for Change, whose member groups included the Coalition of G ...

and the Socialist Workers Party also nominated tickets.

Elections

The New York state election, 1986, was held on November 4. Governor

was re-elected, and Congressman Stan Lundine was elected Lieutenant Governor, both Democrats. The elections to the other three statewide elective offices resulted in the re-election of the three incumbent officeholders: a Republican Comptroller, a Democratic Attorney General and a Republican U.S. Senator. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Governor, was: Democrats 2,655,000; Republicans 1,212,000; Conservatives 152,000; Right to Life 131,000; Liberals 120,000; New Alliance 24,000. The Socialist Workers' candidate for U.S. Senator polled about 7,300 votes. 21 of the 24 women members of the previous legislature—State Senators

Mary B. Goodhue Mary Elizabeth Goodhue ('' née'' Brier; July 24, 1921 – March 24, 2004) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Early life Mary was born on July 24, 1921, in London, England to American parents. She was a daughter of Ernest Brie ...

(Rep.), a lawyer of

Mount Kisco Mount Kisco is a village and town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,959 at the 2020 United States census over 10,877 at the 2010 census. It serves as a ...

;

Nancy Larraine Hoffmann Nancy Larraine Hoffmann (born September 22, 1947, Needham, Massachusetts) is a Republican former New York State Senator from central New York. Career Hoffmann was a member of the Syracuse, New York City Council. She was first elected to the New Y ...

(Dem.), of Syracuse; Olga A. Méndez (Dem.), of

East Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

;

Velmanette Montgomery 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, Bedfor ...

(Dem.), of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

; and Suzi Oppenheimer (Dem.), of

Mamaroneck Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of M ...

; and Assemblywomen

Elizabeth Connelly Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Connelly (June 19, 1928 – May 25, 2006) was a politician from Staten Island, New York who represented the North Shore community from 1973 to 2000. She was the first woman to win elective office to any district encompassing ...

(Dem.), of

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

;

Pinny Cooke Audre "Pinny" Cooke (December 26, 1923 – August 1, 2004) was an American social activist and politician from New York. Life She was born Audre Trupin on December 26, 1923, in Syracuse, New York. There she attended Nottingham High School. She gr ...

(Rep.), of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

; Geraldine L. Daniels (Dem.), of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

; Gloria Davis (Dem.), of

;

Eileen C. Dugan Eileen C. Dugan (April 15, 1945 – November 8, 1996) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born on April 15, 1945, in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York City. the daughter of James Brian Dugan and Anne Dugan (Née Cunningham). ...

(Dem.), of

;

Aurelia Greene Aurelia Greene (October 26, 1934 – May 8, 2021) represented District 77 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises the Highbridge, Morrisania, and Morris Heights sections of The Bronx. She had been representing her district since 1982. ...

(Dem.), of

;

Rhoda S. Jacobs Rhoda S. Jacobs (born September 29, 1936) is an American politician from New York. A Democrat, she was until 2014 a member of the New York State Assembly from the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, which primarily includes the neighborhoods of ...

(Dem.), of

; Cynthia Jenkins (Dem.), a librarian of

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

; Gerdi E. Lipschutz (Dem.), of

; Helen M. Marshall (Dem.), a teacher and librarian of

; Nettie Mayersohn (Dem.), of

; Mary M. McPhillips (Dem.), of Middletown;

Catherine Nolan Catherine T. Nolan (born March 12, 1958) is an American politician who serves as the Deputy Speaker of the New York State Assembly. Nolan represents the 37th Assembly District, which includes the Queens neighborhoods of Sunnyside, Ridgewood, ...

(Dem.), of

; Barbara Patton (Dem.), a lawyer of Hempstead; Toni Rettaliata (Rep.), of Huntington; and

Helene Weinstein Helene E. Weinstein (born September 6, 1952) is an American politician who represents District 41 in the New York State Assembly, which comprises Sheepshead Bay, Flatlands, East Flatbush, Midwood and Canarsie. Biography First elected in 1980, ...

(Dem.), a lawyer of

—were re-elected.

Barbara M. Clark Barbara M. Clark (June 12, 1939 – February 22, 2016) represented New York State Assembly District 33, which comprises Bellerose, Cambria Heights, Hollis and St. Albans, among other neighborhoods located in Queens County, New York. Biogr ...

(Dem.), of

, was also elected to the Assembly. On April 28, 1987, Audrey Pheffer (Dem.), of

, was elected to fill the vacancy in the Assembly caused by the resignation of Gerdi E. Lipschutz. On June 16, 1987,

Patricia McGee Patricia K. "Pat" McGee (October 12, 1934 – April 2, 2005) was a longtime New York State Assemblywoman and Senator from Franklinville, New York. Political career McGee was a registered Republican for her entire political career, and was fr ...

(Rep.), of Franklinville, was elected to fill a vacancy in the Assembly. The New York state election, 1987, was held on November 3. Assemblywoman Toni Rettaliata (Rep.) was elected as Supervisor of the Town of Huntington. On March 15, 1988,

Earlene Hill Hooper Earlene Hill Hooper is an American politician who represented District 18 in the New York State Assembly from 1988 to 2018. Hooper's district included large portions of Nassau County. Hooper served as the first female Deputy Speaker of the Asse ...

(Dem.), of Hempstead, was elected to fill the vacancy in the Assembly caused by the appointment of Barbara Patton to the NYS Workers' Compensation Board. Thus a total of 25 women were members of this Legislature, but not more than 23 at the same time.

Sessions

The Legislature met for the first regular session (the 210th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1987; and recessed indefinitely in the morning of July 11.

Mel Miller Melvin Howard Miller (July 24, 1939 – March 8, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician. Life Miller was born on July 24, 1939, in Brooklyn, New York City. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1961 and the New York University School of La ...

(Dem.) was elected Speaker of the Assembly. Warren M. Anderson (Rep.) was re-elected Temporary President of the Senate. The Legislature met for the second regular session (the 211th) at the State Capitol in Albany on January 6, 1988; and recessed indefinitely in the morning of August 25. The Legislature met again from November 28, to December 1, 1988. This session was called, among other issues, to consider legislation concerning the

Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was a completed General Electric nuclear boiling water reactor located adjacent to Long Island Sound in East Shoreham, New York. The plant was built between 1973 and 1984 by the Long Island Lighting Company (L ...

. The Legislature met again on December 28, 1988, to increase the salaries of the next session's state legislators, and the state commissioners.''Gap Remains as Albany Votes Stipend Increase''
by Elizabeth Kolbert, in ''The New York Times'' on December 29, 1988

State Senate

Senators

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Nicholas A. Spano and Randy Kuhl changed from the Assembly to the Senate. Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Employees

* Secretary:

Stephen F. Sloan Stephen or Steven is a common English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Ac ...

State Assembly

Assembly members

The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature. Note: For brevity, the chairmanships omit the words "...the Committee on (the)..."

Employees

Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

Francine Misasi Francine M. Misasi (May 25, 1944 – June 10, 2001) was an American politician from New York. Life She was born on May 25, 1944, in Glasco, Ulster County, New York. She graduated from Saugerties High School in 1962. In 1973, she moved to Alba ...

Notes

Sources

''Balloting for State Senate: New York's 61 Districts''
in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' on November 6, 1986
''Vote Totals for Races in the New York State Assembly''
in ''The New York Times'' on November 6, 1986

by Frank Lynn, in ''The New York Times'' on March 16, 1988 {{NYLegislatures 187 1987 in New York (state) 1988 in New York (state) 1987 U.S. legislative sessions 1988 U.S. legislative sessions