Indian American Minita Sanghvi Seeks to Be First Openly Gay Woman in N.Y. State Senate
- The equal rights advocate who is currently serving her second term as Saratoga Springs’ finance commissioner, is running from the 44th Senate District for the seat that’s currently held by Republican Jim Tedisco.
Equal rights advocate Minita Sanghvi of Sarasota Springs, New York, is seeking to become the first openly gay woman in the state Senate. The 46-year-old Indian American is running for the state Senate from the 44th Senate District in New York’s Capital Region for the seat that’s currently held by Republican Jim Tedisco. She is currently serving her second term as Saratoga Springs’ finance commissioner. She was first elected in November 2021, becoming the first Indian American and first LGBTQ woman of color to be elected to a citywide position
“I’m running for State Senate because we deserve better,” she said, officially announcing her candidacy on Jan. 8. “We need a leader who will put people ahead of partisan politics in Albany. She described herself as “not a politician,” but “a parent, business educator, and fiscally responsible public servant” who has “built a record of listening to people and working with others to deliver results.”
In a statement sent to Saratoga Today, she said she believes in “protecting rights and freedoms for all residents, no matter where they live or what political party they belong to.” She also promised to protect “women’s access to health care, defend LGBTQ rights, and ensure everyone has an equal shot at the same American Dream this country has given to me.”
Born to a conservative family of entrepreneurs and innovators in Mumbai, she earned a degree in accounting and an MBA. She immigrated to the United States in 2001 and became a U.S. citizen in 2010. A tenured Business Professor at Skidmore College, she holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting and an MBA from the University of Bombay, a Masters in Retailing and Consumer Sciences from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. from Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina Greensboro.
While in Greensboro, she served on the Human Relations Commission whose mission was to encourage fair treatment and promote mutual understanding and respect among all. She moved to Saratoga Springs in 2014 to teach at Skidmore College in the Management and Business Department. She also serves on the Public Library Board and founded the city’s Human Rights Task Force.