State Sen. Lea Webb announced her campaign for reelection in Ithaca this past weekend.
The Democrat just completed her first session in the state Senate and is the first Black woman to hold the seat in the 52nd District. Her district includes all of Tompkins and Cortland counties and part of Broome County.
At a campaign event on Saturday, Webb assured her supporters that her work in the Senate was more important than ever.
“I really understand what's at stake for our communities, working families,” she said. “And it is imperative that we work together to truly deliver a better quality of life for everyone, not only in Senate District 52, but across the state.”
Webb is the Women’s Issues Committee chair in the state Senate.
“I'm proud to share, we've probably had the most meetings that we've ever had since that committee was formed,” she said. “And we've passed 24 bills through that committee, and eight of them have been signed into law.”
Webb highlighted a bill she sponsored establishing a task force on missing girls and women of color.
“I also advanced legislation to address public safety issues such as domestic violence, and the growing epidemic of Black and Indigenous women and girls that are going missing and murdered,” she said.
She also spoke on her legislation that directly impacts Tompkins County.
Webb partnered with Assemblymember Anna Kelles to introduce a bill extending insurance to vehicle-sharing nonprofits like Ithaca Carshare. The bill’s passage effectively saved the project, which is scheduled to restart service in the spring.
“This program has been around in this community for more than 15 years,” she said. “And I'm glad that we were able to save that program.”
The senator has also focused her attention on environmental issues in Tompkins County.
“One of the legislative items I was glad to introduce is to require the Department of [the] Environmental Conservation to conduct a full environmental impact study of the salt mine under Cayuga Lake,” she said.
Webb told WSKG she hopes Tompkins County residents will lean into democracy this election year.
“You know, there are often candidates, leaders that want to politicize real people's pain,” she said. “And one of the things I encouraged residents in this county to do is to continue doing the good work standing up and demanding justice and, and a better quality of life and leaders that have a track record and doing those things.”
Webb currently has one challenger for her seat, Republican Tompkins County Legislator Mike Sigler.