On Monday, State Senator Betty Little hopped into an old Army jeep driven by her grandson for an escorted ride around Glens Falls. The city’s mayor had declared it “Betty Little Day” to celebrate her retirement from elected politics.
“All of the individuals had been on the market, the Kiwanis Membership was out, the Rotary Membership,” Little recalled, “and on the circle in Glens Falls, all of the individuals from the hospital had been there. The surgeon I simply had for breast most cancers was on the market with an indication, waving. It was overwhelming.”
Over greater than 30 years in politics — virtually twnety of them within the State Senate — the Republican from Queensbury grew to become maybe the North Nation’s most influential determine of her time in Albany.
Little will stay energetic in public life, serving on the Olympic Regional Improvement Authority board and dealing with the group planning the 2023 World College Video games in Lake Placid.
Her political profession started after she spent 19 years elevating a household.
She spoke with David Sommerstein about her political profession. A transcript under of their dialog has been edited for readability and brevity. You may hearken to her unedited interview right here:
SEN. BETTY LITTLE: It is nice to be a stay-at-home mother, however you aren’t getting a variety of worth out of laundry and cleansing and ironing and packing lunches and all that. But there’s super worth in being dwelling along with your children; I do not imply it in some other approach. However you begin searching for some cash in your pocket, and it confirmed me I did one thing that had a financial worth.
DAVID SOMMERSTEIN: Why did you consider politics fairly than opening a enterprise or doing one thing else?
SEN. LITTLE: I used to be all the time all for what was happening. I used to be studying the paper. I took historical past lessons. The mayor of Glens Falls was one in all my professors.
And also you all the time have this little voice at the back of your head that claims, ‘why did they do it that approach? I feel they ought to have a look at doing it another approach.’ I all the time had an opinion.
SOMMERSTEIN: While you grew to become a Senator, you needed to fill these enormous footwear of [former State Senator] Ron Stafford, who had been a senator and an enormous determine for therefore lengthy. How did that really feel to you on the time? And I must also add, this was at a time when male lawmakers had been nonetheless dominating the panorama. What was it like for a girl to be entering into that function?
SEN. LITTLE: Yeah, it was totally different, that is for certain. I do know after I began to run for the Meeting, one particular person known as her county chair, one of many chairmen, I do not know which one it was, to inform him that I should not be leaving dwelling as a result of I had a 15-year-old son, and we had been divorced and the daddy had left.
After which I known as him and I stated, ‘you already know, that query would by no means be requested of a person and even considered a person.’
It was tough as a result of I feel that at the moment, and I feel it is improved, girls did not have the boldness. I do know I did not. The lads acted like they knew the whole lot.
I can keep in mind after I first was down on the Meeting, my daughter got here. She was in faculty at Plattsburgh, and she or he got here down, and we’re strolling round and she or he requested me one thing and I stated, ‘I do not know what I am doing and the place I am going.’ And he or she stated, /’Mother, cease saying that. Somebody’s going to listen to you.’
You must be sure, and I inform girls this, do not attempt to act like a person, however know your topic and know your subject.
SOMMERSTEIN: It is unimaginable to summarize 20 years of lawmaking within the Senate alone. However what’s one thing that you just’re most pleased with legislatively?
SEN. LITTLE: I’ve achieved a variety of stuff that I even began after I was within the Meeting on invasive species and [Eurasian watermilfoil]. Even after I was on the county board, that was a difficulty in Lake George. And so they thought that the lake was going to refill with milfoil and it was going to lose all its leisure skill. Luckily, that by no means occurred, however we actually needed to work arduous as a result of in a variety of lakes, it was spreading.
And so I labored on that and with laws, we acquired cash and I had a invoice that proposed cash for municipalities and lake associations.
It is a large concern as a result of we’re a tourism space. Nobody’s going to come back to an space if you cannot use the lakes, the gorgeous, stunning lakes that we have now for swimming, boating, and recreation.
SOMMERSTEIN: There’s been a variety of robust information and dangerous information this 12 months as you retire. What are you hopeful about?
SEN. LITTLE: The entire digital stuff within the on-line and all this sort of stuff, I feel that is our alternative to extend our year-round inhabitants, and that’s what we’d like probably the most, as a result of the sustainability of communities is one thing I’ve talked about since day one.
We have already seen grocery shops and gasoline stations depart our small communities. Well being care goes to be terrible. You have a look at Lengthy Lake and the way well being care can survive there within the wintertime.
So we’d like extra year-round residents with the ability to log on and work on-line remotely. And so we’d like Web service. We’d like it to be reasonably priced. We’d like it to be sponsored. That is a giant factor and that can assist us develop.
SOMMERSTEIN: You’ve got been one of many extra bipartisan lawmakers through the years. You’ve got had a great relationship with Governor Cuomo by means of his tenure and different Democrats. Right now the place, particularly on the nationwide stage however you additionally see it in state authorities, a really actual polarization between Republicans and Democrats. What recommendation do you will have for individuals in politics proper now?
SEN. LITTLE: Properly, I’ve all the time thought that after I was elected, I used to be elected to signify my constituency, which was six counties actually. However you signify all people that is there.
SOMMERSTEIN: What do you consider that polarization? Is there a spot for reasonable lawmakers like your self?
SEN. LITTLE: I want extra individuals had been like that and felt that approach. It is positively gotten worse. Individuals begin speaking like ‘persons are Republicans or Democrats.’ No, there are individuals.
