Lea Webb is an American politician serving as a member of the New York State Senate for the 52nd district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on January 1, 2023.
Lea Webb | |
|---|---|
_NYS_Senator_Lea_Webb_(cropped).jpg) Webb in 2023 | |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 52nd district | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Fred Akshar |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | SUNY Broome Community College (AAS) Binghamton University (BS) |
Early life and education
editWebb is a native of the Southern Tier region of New York. She earned an associate degree in liberal arts and sciences from SUNY Broome Community College and a Bachelor of Science in neuroscience from Binghamton University.[1]
Career
editFrom 2004 to 2006, Webb worked for the Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network in Binghamton, New York. She served as an organizer for Citizen Action of New York and was elected to the Binghamton City Council in 2008, becoming the youngest person, until Conrad Taylor was elected in 2015, and first African-American to ever serve on the council.[2][3]
New York State Senate
editWebb was elected to represent New York's 52nd Senate District in the 2022 general election, defeating former Binghamton Mayor Rich David.[4][5] She is the first black woman to represent the 52nd Senate District.[6] The district includes all of Cortland and Tompkins counties and a portion of Broome County, including the city of Binghamton and the towns of Binghamton, Chenango, Dickinson, Lisle, Maine, Nanticoke, Union and Vestal.[7]
On December 23, 2022, Webb expressed her opposition to Governor Kathy Hochul's nomination of Hector LaSalle for Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Webb based her decision on LaSalle's past decisions on workers rights and reproductive care.[8][9] On April 18, 2023, Webb voted to confirm Rowan Wilson as the state's first black Chief Judge.[10][11]
On January 24, 2023, Webb was commended "for her critical work" as "Chair of the Senate Women’s Issues Committee" in a press release by the New York State Senate Majority regarding passage of the Equal Rights Amendment referendum in the Senate.[12]
Webb and her colleagues successfully advocated for $5 million in state funding to be allocated to local theatres from the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 State Budget, as part of New York's Alive Downtowns! initiative.[13][14]
On May 24, 2023, Webb introduced a bill that would specifically ban TV and film companies from qualifying for lucrative state tax breaks if they use “synthetic media in any component of production that would displace any natural person.”[15][16]
Electoral history
editNew York State Senate
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lea Webb | 51,986 | 50.7% | +50.7% | |
| Republican | Rich David | 50,567 | 49.3% | −38.1% | |
| Total votes | 102,553 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
References
edit- ^ "About Lea Webb". NY State Senate. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
- ^ "Webb Reflects on Making Binghamton City Council History". www.spectrumlocalnews.com. 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ "BU sophomore wins city council seat". www.bupipedream.com. 2015-11-04. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ "Lea Webb declares victory in Senate race". WIVT - NewsChannel 34. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
- ^ "Lea Webb". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
- ^ "Three Red Dragons honored for achievement". www2.cortland.edu. 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Democrat Lea Webb wins NY Senate race as Rich David concedes". www.pressconnects.com. 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
- ^ "Lea Webb opposes Hochul's high court pick". www.wskg.org. 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ "Here is my statement regarding the nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle for Chief Judge". www.twitter.com. 2022-12-23. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
- ^ "Senator Lea Webb Statement on Confirmation of Judge Rowan Wilson". www.nysenate.gov. 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "Rowan Wilson confirmed as first Black chief judge of the Court of Appeals". www.cityandstateny.com. 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
- ^ "Equal Rights Amendment Passes Senate". www.nysenate.gov. 2022-01-24. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ "Senator Webb Announces Budget Win for State Theatre". www.ithaca.com. 2023-05-07. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ "New York State invests $5M into local arts centers". www.news10.com. 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
- ^ "Albany threatens to spike $700M in tax breaks if film, TV production companies replace humans with AI". www.nypost.com. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "Albany warns of $700M tax break loss if film, TV firms use AI instead of humans". www.globalvillagespace.com. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2023-05-29.
- ^ "2022 New York State Senate - District 52 Election Results". www.jsonline.com. 2022-11-08. Retrieved 2023-04-14.