Who is Andrea Stewart-Cousins?
Andrea Stewart-Cousins is an American legislator and educator representing District 35 in the New York State Senate. Stewart-Cousins is the body’s Majority Leader and Temporary President. She first joined the New York State Senate in 2006.
Andrea is the first woman in the history of New York State to lead a conference in the New York State Legislature. She is also the first female Senate Majority Leader in New York history.
Prior to joining the Senate, Stewart-Cousins served as a Westchester County Legislator between 1996 and 2006. She was also chosen in 2012 by her colleagues to lead the Senate Democratic Conference. She became the majority leader in January 2019 after the Democratic Party won an outright Senate majority in the 2018 elections.
Initially, she joined the United States government in 1992. This is after she was appointed by former Yonkers Mayor Terry Zaleski as the city’s Director of Community Affairs. She first ran for the State Senate in 2004. However, she lost that election by just 18 votes. In 2006, she ran again and she won by over 1,800 votes. Stewart-Cousins has served in the State Senate since then.
Prior to her political career, Stewart-Cousins worked as a journalist, a public-school teacher, and for 13 years as a customer service and sales & marketing professional for New York Telephone/ AT&T.
How Old is Andrea Stewart-Cousins?
Stewart is 69 years old as of 2019 having been born on September 2, 1950, in New York City, New York, U.S.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Parents
She was born to Bob Stewart and Beryl Stewart. Bob was a decorated World War II veteran and repairman and Beryl a stenographer and community activist. Andrea and her family resided in public housing in Manhattan and the Bronx. At a young age, she suffered from chronic asthma.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Education
Andrea attended Pace University from where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree. as an adult, she got her teaching credentials in Business Education from Lehman College.
She also went ahead to earn her Master of Public Administration from Pace University and is a proud member of Pi Alpha Alpha (a Public Administration Honor Society).
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Husband
Stewart married Thomas Cousins in 1979 and they moved to Yonkers. Sadly, Cousins died on November 26, 2007.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Children
Andrea gave birth to her first child, a son at the age of 19. She has other two children and four grandchildren.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Net Worth
Through her wide career in politics. Andrea has earned great wealth. However, her net worth is not yet disclosed to the public.
Andrea Stewart-Cousins Accomplishments
- Delivering record increases in State funding for public schools in her district
- Leading the fight to raise the minimum wage in New York State to $15/hr
- Passing the toughest gun control laws in the nation by providing the critical votes for the NY SAFE Act
- Cutting middle-class income taxes to the lowest levels in over sixty years.
- Bringing the voices of women to the table on issues like pay equity, sexual harassment and reproductive choice
- Creating thousands of jobs in Westchester through the Regional Economic Development Councils.
- Combating climate change by supporting the state’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
- Fighting for tough ethics reforms like prohibiting outside income for legislators, stripping corrupt elected officials of their pensions, and closing campaign finance loopholes.
- Strengthening democracy by passing progressive voting laws and calling for campaign finance reform
- Raising the age of criminal responsibility from 16 to 18 and fighting for other reforms in the criminal justice system
- Ensuring access to quality affordable health care for all New Yorkers
