Flags Flown at Half-Staff for Former Congresswoman

Former Congresswoman Nita Lowey of Westchester County died at her home in Harrison on Saturday. She was 87. Lowery has been memorialized by her colleges at the state and local level, who have described her as a dedicated public servent.

In a statment shared with the RCT, County Exeutive Ed Day call former Congresswoman Lowey “a champion for Rockland County, the Hudson Valley and the State of New York for decades,” and ordered county flags be flown at half-staff on March 17.

Governor Kathy Hochul made a similar announcement  writing, “It was my privilege to have had the opportunity to work with her over the years on projects helping veterans, seniors and all residents of Rockland. We mourn her loss.

“As a freshman member of Congress, Nita helped show me the ropes as I was learning how to navigate Washington,” the governor said Sunday. “She was a tireless fighter for the State of New York and never stopped working to deliver for the people of Westchester and Rockland.”

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer said Lowey “was the heart of the Hudson Valley and my friend for over 40 years.” He said she was a “trailblazer who ran the appropriations committee with amazing effectiveness.” She was the first woman to chair that committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Schumer called her a “kindhearted person, always putting others first and caring for their well-being.”

Congressman George Latimer (D, NY-16) said Lowey “was the definition of an excellent public servant: smart, warm. Principled and fearless.”

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D, Yonkers) said Lowey’s “remarkable career was defined by a steadfast commitment to her constituents and an unyielding fight for justice and equality.”