Former New York state Sen. Olga Mendez, the first Puerto Rican woman elected to a state legislature in the mainland United States, has died.
A nephew, Erick Vazquez, said Mendez, 84, died yesterday morning at her East Harlem home. He said she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Mendez was a state senator from 1978 to 2004.
Mayor Bloomberg credited Mendez with helping him see the wisdom of reaching across partisan lines to “do what’s right for your constituents.”