Linda Winikow

Linda Winikow (May 9, 1940 – August 24, 2008) was an American politician from New York.

Life

She was born Linda Bord on May 9, 1940, in New York City. The family lived in Hewlett, Nassau County, New York. She graduated from Hofstra University. Then she taught history at a high school in Long Island. She married Arnold Winikow (1936–2000), and the couple moved to Spring Valley, Rockland County, in 1964.

She entered politics as a Democrat, and became a member of the Town of Ramapo Zoning Board of Appeals in 1968; a member of the Ramapo Town Council in 1972; and a member of the Rockland County Legislature in 1974.^[1]

She was a member of the New York State Senate from 1975 to 1984, sitting in the 181st, 182nd,183rd, 184th and 185th New York State Legislatures. She was a delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention but in June 1984, she announced that she would not seek re-election.^[2]

In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; card number 22 featured Winikow's name and picture.^[3]

She was hired by Orange and Rockland Utilities as Vice President in charge of public relations, beginning on July 1, 1984.^[4] On August 16, 1993, she was arrested, and accused of funneling more than $250,000 of the company's money away for corrupt purposes and her personal use.^[5] Investigations showed that she had paid local newspapers to refrain from publishing articles with undesired coverage of Orange and Rockland Utilities and the company's top employees; that she forced the utility's advertising company to pay kickbacks; and that she made contributions to the election campaigns, using the company's money but declaring it as coming from different sources. On October 6, 1993, she pleaded guilty in Rockland County Court to grand larceny, commercial bribe receiving and making illegal campaign contributions.^[6] In 1995, She was sentenced to nine months in prison.^[7]

She died on August 24, 2008, in Sarasota, Florida.^[8]

References