State Senator Hoylman Mourns Passing of Former State Senator Catherine Abate

State Senator Brad Hoylman issued the following statement on the passing of Catherine Abate, who was a three-term Democratic District Leader from Greenwich Village and a two-term State Senator from the 27th District before she became President and CEO of Community Healthcare Network (CHN) 15 years ago.

"With the passing of former Senator Catherine Abate, whose senate seat I now have the honor of holding, Greenwich Village, the city and the state have lost one of our most dedicated, talented and thoughtful public servants. During her diverse and far-reaching public service career, she served at nearly every level of New York politics and government, including grassroots organizing, City Hall and Albany. Catherine's commitment extended to her friendship and mentoring of numerous government, nonprofit and labor sector leaders who followed her, including me.

Most recently, Catherine made significant and lasting contributions in the area of public health. During her leadership at Community Health Network, Catherine significantly expanded healthcare and social services programs for the underserved and developed innovative strategies for vulnerable segments of the LGBT population, including transgender people and those living with HIV/AIDS.

Catherine set a high bar for public service that the rest of us should strive to match."