Politics
Carl E. Heastie elected Speaker of New York State Assembly
Carl E. Heastie was earlier this week elected speaker of the New York Assembly.
Heastie, 47, made history by becoming the state’s first African American speaker. He replaces Sheldon Silver, who was forced to resign after his arrest on charges of accepting millions of dollars in payoffs.
Heastie vowed to create a new office of ethics compliance and take other steps to clean up Albany’s tradition of corruption and backroom dealing.
“We will change the cynicism into trust,” Heastie said. “Our state deserves a government as good as its people.”
Democrats hold a more than two-thirds majority in the chamber, and Heastie easily won the post over Republican Minority Leader Brian Kolb.
The Assembly’s only other business Tuesday was passage of a resolution honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Heastie noted the coincidence.
“Thank you, Dr. King, for making this day possible,” said Heastie, also the first speaker from the Bronx.
The speaker is one of the most important positions in state government. Heastie will direct the flow of legislation, set committee assignments and direct budget negotiations with Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Republican-controlled state Senate.
Four other lawmakers initially sought the speakership but quickly backed out as Heastie locked up support.
Heastie was first elected in 2000 and has led the Assembly’s Labor Committee for the past 2 years. He is a former budget analyst in the New York City Comptroller’s Office. He also leads the Bronx Democratic County Committee, a post he has said he will leave now that he is speaker.
On Monday, Heastie outlined his reform proposal, calling for a new Office of Ethics and Compliance led by a non-legislator, new limits on how much outside income lawmakers can earn, and greater reporting of outside income and legislative stipends. Outside pay is a central issue in the case against Silver.
He also said he would look for ways to decentralize Assembly power so rank-and-file lawmakers have more input.
Heastie is the latest in a long line of speakers from New York City — a tradition that many city leaders had insisted must be continued. As Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement hailing Heastie’s election, “New York City needs a strong voice in Albany.”
He plans to visit upstate soon and listed several priorities for the Assembly including a higher minimum wage, extending financial aid to students in the country illegally and a legislative package known as the women’s equality agenda that contains measures to protect abortion rights and to combat sex trafficking, domestic violence and workplace discrimination.
Source: Associated Press