ALBANY – Majority Assembly Democrats
Tuesday elected Bronx Assemblyman Carl Heastie as the new speaker replacing
Sheldon Silver who stepped down after facing federal charges.
Democrat Assemblyman Kevin Cahill of Kingston said he expects both sides
of the aisle along with Heastie “to restore the public faith in
the leadership of our state government.”
Republican Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb said with the election
of the new speaker, the first order of business is “restoring the
public’s trust in government and implementing ethics reforms that
Assembly Republicans have called for since 2013.”
Assemblyman Karl Brabenec, a Republican, said Heastie emphasized his top
priority, ethics reform. “He spoke of a new era in Albany in which
the Assembly’s dealings will be zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
in which outside income will be regulated; in which the Assembly dealings
will be bipartisan and transparent, and all its members will come together
to restore honor to this institution,” Brabenec.
