Democrats unanimously back Heastie for speaker

ALBANY Bronx Assemblyman Carl E. Heastie, bypassing more senior members in a rapid internal power campaign, on Tuesday will become the first African-American speaker of the New York State Assembly.

Heastie, a 47-year-old Democrat first elected in 2000, was unanimously endorsed by his fellow Democrats during a closed-door conference at the Capitol on Monday evening. That followed a furious behind-the-scenes campaign effort by Heastie, who pushed ahead for the top Assembly post while many lawmakers thought they had signed on to a more deliberative process that was not to conclude until a floor vote next Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Heastie will take over for Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, who led the chamber since 1994 but lost the confidence of his Democratic Conference after last month being charged with corruption by the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan.

Silver, 70, to the amazement of some lawmakers, not only came to the Capitol on Monday, but also attended the private meeting among Democrats in which they embraced a new speaker. Lawmakers said Silver, who has insisted he will remain on as a member of the Assembly, also voted in private for Heastie.

The full Assembly is set to vote on Heastie on Tuesday morning, but with 105 members of the Democratic Conference in the 150-member house, selection of Heastie during those proceedings is a mere formality.

Heastie declined to speak to reporters Monday after the Democratic vote but said he was humbled by the support.

After an earlier private meeting with Assembly Democrats who created a self-proclaimed reform caucus to push for structural changes with the chambers operations, Heastie was also his characteristic no-comment self. It wouldnt be a private conversation if I told about the conversation, he said when asked about the meeting.

The judgment of the conference is I lost, said Assemblywoman Catherine T. Nolan, D-Queens, who joined the Assembly 30 years ago. On Monday afternoon, during the middle of the private Democratic Conference, Nolan became the last of four other veteran lawmakers interested in the speakers post to step aside in the face of the political juggernaut put together by Heastie.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo chose to stay away from Albany on Monday and use a speech at New York University to again highlight the Capitols ethical lapses. He laid out a set of proposals, some of them already previously made, to try to improve the reputation of the state government or, more precisely, the Legislature.

Cuomo accused unidentified lawmakers of going to Albany to make money through extra per diem payments on top of their salaries and said there should be further restrictions on how politicians can spend their campaign account funds. He said there needs to be total disclosure of lawmakers outside incomes, such as any connections their law firm clients might have to the state, and to end pensions for politicians convicted of corruption charges. Some of these proposals have been made by lawmakers and outside groups for years, but never gained traction among top Albany officials.

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Democrats unanimously back Heastie for speaker

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