Shelley Mayer
Shelley Mayer | |
|---|---|
Mayer in 2020 | |
| Member of the New York State Senate from the 37th district | |
| Assumed office April 30, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | George Latimer |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 90th district | |
| In office January 1, 2013 – April 30, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Sandy Galef |
| Succeeded by | Nader Sayegh |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 93rd district | |
| In office March 21, 2012 – December 31, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Spano |
| Succeeded by | David Buchwald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 6, 1952 Yonkers, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lee Smith |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Yonkers, New York |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles (BA) SUNY Buffalo School of Law (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website Campaign website |
Shelley Mayer (born March 6, 1952) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the New York State Senate representing the 37th Senate District, which includes portions of Westchester County. Formerly a member of the New York State Assembly, Mayer was first elected in a special election in 2018.
Background
Mayer was born and raised in Yonkers. She received her B.A. at University of California, Los Angeles, and later her J.D. at the University at Buffalo Law School.[1]
Prior to her election to public office, Mayer was a Senior Counsel at the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia University, where she focused on health care and labor law rights.[1] From 2007 until early 2011, Shelley worked as Chief Counsel to the New York State Senate Conference in Albany.[2]
For over seven years, she served as Vice President of Government and Community Affairs at Continuum Health Partners in New York City.[3] From 1982 to 1994, Mayer served as an Assistant Attorney General in the office of New York Attorney General Bob Abrams.[4] She served in the Civil Rights Bureau, as Chief of the Westchester Regional Office, as the legislative liaison for the Attorney General and ultimately as a senior advisor to the Attorney General.
In 2006, Mayer made her first run for public office, losing a bid for the New York State Assembly to incumbent Republican Mike Spano.[5] Spano later went on to change parties, ran for Mayor of Yonkers in 2011 as a Democrat, and won.[6]
Mayer was first elected to the New York State Assembly on March 20, 2012,[7] in a special election to succeed Spano, and was re-elected three times.
Mayer lives in Yonkers with her husband, Lee Smith, with whom she has three adult children, Aaron, Julia, and Arthur Smith.
New York Senate
Mayer was elected to the State Senate in a special election held on April 24, 2018 after the office was vacated by Westchester County Executive George Latimer. Mayer appeared on the Democratic, Working Families, and Women's Equality Party lines and won by a margin of 57% to 43%.[8] Mayer attributed her electoral victory to broad support from diverse political groups, including progressives, Democrats, labor unions, and women's advocacy organizations.[9]
Later in 2018, despite the district being deemed competitive by pundits, Mayer was unopposed for a full-term. With Democrats retaking the majority, Mayer is serving as Chair of Committee on Education.[10]
Since becoming Chair of the New York State Senate Committee on Education, Mayer has focused on policies related to funding and resources for public schools, including those serving students with disabilities. From 2013 to 2017, as Chair of the Assembly Education Subcommittee on Students with Special Needs, she supported increased state funding for Special Act schools and other institutions serving students with disabilities. Mayer supported reforms to the Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system, contributing to legislation that reduced the weight of standardized test scores in teacher evaluations.[11]
References
- ^ a b "Law School's Shelley Mayer Elected to State Assembly". Columbia News. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ Politics on the Hudson (2011-02-25). "Mayer Leaves As Senate Democrats' Counsel". Capitol Confidential. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ Robeson, Kenneth H. R. (2018-02-07). "Controversy Swirls Around NY Senate Candidate Who Hid Ties to Crooked Politicos". The Jewish Voice. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Mayer Apparent Winner in New York State Senate Race". TAPinto. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY Assembly 93 Race - Nov 07, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ Yang, Lucy. "Mike Spano elected Yonkers mayor". ABC7 New York. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY Assembly 93 Special Race - Mar 20, 2012". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY State Senate 37 Special Race - Apr 24, 2018". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Mayer wins NYS Senate 37th District race, updated results". lohud.com. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "NYSUT lauds selection of Sen. Shelley Mayer as Senate Education Chair". www.nysut.org. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
- ^ "Senate Passes Senator Mayer Bill Revamping Teacher and Principal Evaluations | NYSenate.gov". www.nysenate.gov. Retrieved 2025-06-20.