NY Assembly to lose one of its true advocates

Aileen Gunther will retire

By Braden Powell | Manor Ink

Albany, NY – Aileen Gunther has been a passionate New York Assemblywoman, representing the state’s 100th Assembly District, which includes Sullivan and Orange counties, since 2003. She has been an advocate for issues such as health care, environmental conservation, education and many more. But Gunther recently announced her retirement as Assemblywoman. As she leaves, it’s important to recognize her impact.

Gunther grew up in the Bronx, and as a student attended Catholic school. After graduating, she pursued a career in nursing, earning her nursing license from Orange County Community College and then becoming a registered nurse. Gunther traveled quite a bit for her practice, going as far as California. When she returned to Sullivan County, she worked at Community General Hospital in Harris for years until the sudden death of her husband, NY Assemblyman Jake Gunther. Following that tragic event, Aileen decided to take charge and run for her late husband’s seat, successfully being elected to it.

Gunther immediately got to work and started speaking on subjects she believed weren’t being addressed, such as health care. As a nurse, Gunther had witnessed firsthand the industry’s challenges and failings. One of Gunther’s biggest accomplishments was passing the Nurse Ratio Bill.

“As a nurse, when we take care of patients, you need a certain ratio of nurses-to-patients, depending on how sick the patients are,” Gunther said. “So in my tenure, for a long time, nurses were being overburdened, and when they’re overburdened, they can’t provide proper care to meet the needs of their patients. So I had a big bill – it was pretty tough to get through – requiring ‘safe staffing.’ Safe staffing means having the appropriate number of nurses for the number of patients, so it’s called the Nurse Ratio Bill.”

After passing that bill, Gunther has continued helping the health-care industry. She has also been extremely passionate about helping the less fortunate and those who need assistance.

“If you look around, if you observe what’s happening around you, what you find is that there’s always somebody that could use a little bit of help,” Gunther said. “That’s exactly, you know, why I do what I do.” The Assemblywoman has spent her entire career helping others and acting in the interest of the people.

What does Aileen Gunther plan to pursue after leaving state politics? “You know, my big thing in life is working with people – I’m not a person who can sit home all day long and, like, enter data or something like that. I’m kind of an active person. But you know, I tend to believe in God. And I think that God will kind of point me in the right direction.”

Assemblywoman Gunther has found her true passion in helping people, and even in her retirement, she will continue aiding others around her. In the next years, she wishes to spend lots of time visiting her children and grandchildren, who live all over the world.

Thank you, Aileen Gunther.