Carl Heastie elected speaker

Posted 8/21/12

ALBANY, NY — Carl Heastie, a Democratic assemblyman from the Bronx, was elected as Speaker of the New York State Assembly on February 3. He is the first African-American ever to hold the office in …

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Carl Heastie elected speaker

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ALBANY, NY — Carl Heastie, a Democratic assemblyman from the Bronx, was elected as Speaker of the New York State Assembly on February 3. He is the first African-American ever to hold the office in the 238 year history of the body.

As speaker, he will control which bills come to the floor of the house and will direct budget negotiations with Gov. Cuomo and the majority leader of the Senate, Dean Seklos. Heastie’s position is considered to be one of the three most powerful in the state.

Heastie has said that he is committed to ethics reform and changing some of the procedures in the Assembly, although he has said he is not in favor of term limits for the Speaker.

After the election, Heastie received a string of endorsements from politicians and community leaders. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said, “I served with Carl Heastie and know that he accepts his new role with humility… My office is prepared to help him through this transition and to make government more accountable and transparent.”

Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis released a statement saying, “I congratulate the first new speaker in 21 years, Carl Heastie, and hope his election will lead to many necessary changes in the way the Assembly chamber is run so this legislative body can operate as a true democracy and better serve all people across our state.”

Karen Scharff, executive director of Citizen Action of New York, said, “We congratulate Carl Heastie on his election as speaker of the Assembly. He is a strong ally in the fight against inequality.”

But not everyone thinks Heastie’s election is such a great thing. New York Times blogger Eleanor Randolph wrote, “Before it was disbanded by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Moreland Commission on corruption in Albany listed Mr. Heastie as one of the lawmakers with more than $10,000 in campaign expenses that were not properly detailed. A Times review of Mr. Heastie’s campaign finance filings likewise showed tens of thousands of dollars in expenses that were not itemized since he was elected to the Assembly in 2000.”

She continued, “Although Mr. Heastie was not a major leader in the Assembly, he racked up $23,440 in per diem and travel expenses in 2014—the third highest in the Assembly.”

Another blogger, Errol Louis of the Daily News, wrote about some of Heastie’s questionable associates. He wrote, “Start with Heastie’s home political club, the Northeast Bronx Community Democrats, which was founded and run by Larry Seabrook, a mentor and predecessor of Heastie’s who served in the Assembly, state Senate and City Council before ending up in federal prison, where he is currently serving a five-year sentence for steering millions in public funds to friends, family members and nonprofit groups that did little or no good for the Bronx.”

But on the floor of the Assembly after the members elected Heastie, the former New York City budget analyst received a standing ovation from his peers, and he promised to bring reforms to Albany.

He said, “There is no question that the actions of the few has given cause for cynicism. We must settle for nothing less than real reform to make this chamber a place of pride once again.”

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