'She spoke from the heart.' Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther retires after 20 years representing Orange and Sullivan counties
After winning ten straight elections, delivering millions in state grants to her district and fighting for worker protections, Aileen Gunther, of District 100, is retiring.
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A long-time state assemblywoman who has fiercely represented Middletown and Sullivan County is saying goodbye as she finishes her final term.
After winning 10 straight elections, delivering millions in state grants to her district and fighting for worker protections, Aileen Gunther, of District 100, is retiring.
News 12 spoke Friday with Gunther and some of her peers about the unique impact she made by not always playing by the rules.
Gunther, also a registered nurse, has never been a fan of the political social scene in Albany.
"I'm more of a loner," she said, though there were a few people in Albany she would have dinner with sometimes.
After working in Albany, she would drive straight home to Forestburgh to spend extra time with constituents.
Gunther was elected in 2003 to replace her husband, Jacob, who had died just months prior.
Gunther went on to win nine more elections in a row.
Multiple times, she helped defeat proposed cuts to the state's Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, which allows people with disabilities hire their own home health aides, often times relatives.
She also wrote and passed legislation on staffing ratios at hospitals.
Gunther gave most of the credit to medical professionals around the state for the legislation's success.
"A lot of nurses were getting fed up with overtime and patient-to-nurse ratios, and I think that I helped that a lot," she said, adding that she worked with lawmakers of both major parties to pass the legislation. "I think you can work with anybody. You know, as a nurse, you work with everybody."
Middletown Mayor Joe Destefano praised Gunther for her ability to "bring home the bacon."
The City Council recently thanked Gunther for the $8 million in state grants she helped secure for the city during her 20 years in Albany.
Some of the projects would not have happened without the assistance secured by Gunther, Destefano said, including the renovation of the O&W Train Depot on Wickham Avenue.
"She's the best 'lobbyist' for our city that I've ever seen in Albany," Destefano said over the phone Friday. "She was not only an advocate on issues, but she was an advocate for Middletown taxpayers getting their fair share."
Barry Lewis, former editor of the Times Herald Record, was The Record's Sullivan County editor when Gunther first took office.
Lewis said Gunther did approach interviews with rehearsed quotes, and perhaps because she was not originally a career politician, she would have real talk with reporters.
"She might have been unguarded at times," Lewis said in a phone interview Friday afternoon. "She wouldn't give you — not necessarily — the politically correct answer, but she spoke from her heart."
When asked what advice she has for her successor Assemblywoman-elect Paula Kay or other up-and-coming politicians, Gunther urged them to keep evolving.
"You have to be thoughtful, move forward," she said, "and when new ideas come, you have to get on the bandwagon."
Gunther says she is especially excited about retirement because she will have more time to spend with her six grandchildren, including Friday afternoon's Christmas shopping outing.
She is considering a "side job" during retirement to stay busy and keep contributing to the community.
