TRR photo by David Hulse Newly elected Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther has been busy sorting through legislation proposals and funding requests.

Gunther gets ready for Albany

By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO, NY—January will bring her initiation into the assembly and in recent weeks Aileen Gunther has been getting ready for her new role as a legislator.

Gunther, who won a two-to-one victory in a special election to complete the last year of her late husband Jacob Gunther’s term, has had more to do in preparation than most freshmen legislators.

She’s kept her husband’s Anawana Lake Road office in Kiamesha and at first glance, very little seems changed.

“This is Gunther’s office calling…” staff member Sean Hanofee invokes to someone on the telephone as he has for years.

Chief of Staff Rita Simon still smiles in greeting from her office as she moves a small mountain of paper across her desk.