Senator Rath will not seek re-election
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Mary Lou Rath

After 15 years in office, New York State Sen. Mary Lou Rath will not seek re-election.

The 16th District Republican made the announcement on Monday, saying that each year there comes a time to decide whether to run again or do something else with her life. This year she has decided not to run.

"I have lots of other interests that have gone dormant over the years, especially many grandchildren," Rath said, adding that she will focus on spending time with her family and volunteering.

The senator will complete her current term, which ends in December.

Rath said there have been a few names discussed for her replacement, the most recognizable being Assemblyman Jim Hayes, R-Amherst. She said she had spoken with him about her decision to retire, but he did not say if he planned to run for the seat.

In her final 11 months as a senator, Rath said she will focus on several major items, mainly those she oversees as the chair of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development.

"Walk the Villages needs to have some expansion. I have a number of agenda items that I will hopefully wrap up this year or have in a position to hand off to the next person," she said.

As chair, Rath established the "Explore NY" state grant program which encourages an integrated, thematic approach to tourism promotion. The program offers matching funds to entities - defined as two or more counties or a series or collection of thematically related entities - that commit to working together.

The 61st District includes part of the City of Tonawanda; the towns of Amherst, Clarence, Newstead and Tonawanda; the Villages of Akron, Kenmore and Williamsville in Erie County; and all of Genesee County.

Rath was first elected to office in 1979 as an Erie County legislator. She served as the Republican leader from 1989 until her election to the New York State Senate in November 1993.

She was the first woman elected to the 61st Senate District, and, as the deputy majority leader for state/federal relations, she is also the first woman to serve in a leadership position in the Senate majority.

She has received many awards and honors in recognition of her record of public service, including: the Buffalo State College Distinguished Alumni Award, the Buffalo-Niagara Partnership President's Award and induction into the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame.

She also focused on quality health care, sponsoring legislation which established the New York State Osteoporosis Prevention Program, and was one of the Senate sponsors of a comprehensive women's health bill that increased access to health services.

Rath also launched New York Wellness Works, a program aimed at providing incentives for employers that offer employees work-site wellness opportunities, with the long-term goal of containing the costs of health care.

Serving on the Senate Task Force on Medicaid Reform, she was part of the establishment of the Western New York "Fix Medicaid" Coalition.

Rath resides in Williamsville. Her husband, the late Edward A. Rath, Jr., was a New York State Supreme Court justice. Her son, Edward Rath III, is serving his first year as Erie County legislator of the 15th District.

She has three children and eight grandchildren.

(Information was obtained from www.senatorrath.com.)