Carl Heastie, a rep of the Bronx, became the Speaker of the NY State Assembly on Feb. 3. Mike Groll/AP
By Jeff Coltin
It’s a storyline straight out of a political thriller.
The long-serving, well-connected New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was arrested on corruption charges. The State’s lower house was thrown into speculation for less than a week before a media-shy Bronx accountant rose above the other candidates like the clock tower over Grand Concourse.
Just like that, Carl Heastie of Baychester took one of the most powerful seats in New York in an internal vote in Albany on Feb. 3.
That is big news for Bronx native Matt Schwalbenberg, FCRH ’15. The economics major grew up in Pelham Manor, mere blocks away from Heastie’s district.
“Just to see another person from the Bronx, from that kind of area [being elected] is pretty cool,” Schwalbenberg said.
In many ways, Heastie (prounced “Hasty”) seems like the anti-Silver. While the former speaker’s district covered the ultra-powerful and rich Financial District, Heastie represents a solidly middle-class portion of the northeast Bronx with a large African-American population. Heastie is the first Bronxite and the first African-American to serve as Assembly Speaker.
Schwalbenberg thinks this is good news for his home borough.
“The Bronx never gets equal representation with the other boroughs, so this should help,” he said.
But do not expect it to help too soon, warned Dr. Bruce Berg, professor of political science at Fordham.
“In terms of what he can do for the Bronx as speaker, the Bronx is probably going to have to wait for a while until he solidifies his power base and people are sure he’s going to be there for a while,” Berg said.
Holding the seat could be difficult. Although the 105 Democratic members of the 150-seat Assembly elected Heastie with overwhelming support, some lawmakers have shown reservations about Heastie’s finances.
According to a New York Times Op-Ed, he racked up the third-highest per-diem and travel expenses in the Assembly last year, despite not being a major leader. Additionally, his finances are “at best, sloppy,” with tens of thousands of dollars in credit card debt and further tens of thousands of dollars of non-itemized expenses listed in campaign filings.
Despite Heastie’s own troubles, many Capitol-watchers are seeing his election as an opportunity for ethics reform in an Albany long plagued by scandals, including those of Governor Andrew Cuomo, FCRH ’79.
“Obviously, the Governor appears to be reinvigorated by the Silver debacle,” Berg said.
Cuomo is even threatening not to sign this year’s budget unless Heastie and the Republican Senate Majority Leader, Dean Skelos, LAW ’75, can reach an agreement. But, Berg is not sure the new Speaker is the best man for the job.
“It’s not the Heastie wing of the Assembly that’s traditionally pushing for reform,” he said. “It’s probably the folks who supported somebody other than Heastie for Speaker.”
Still, Bronx politicos are eager to have their man in power. Tim Bouffard, FCRH ’16, works at political fundraising firm Dynamic SRG and attended a Bronx Democratic Party event at Michaelangelo’s the week before Heastie’s election to Speaker.
Bouffard said it was more crowded than in past years, “because of the buzz about Heastie rising to the speaker position, people wanted to see him, people wanted to hear what he had to say.”
Bouffard met the speaker briefly at the event and left optimistic.
“I hope he does well. I hope he gives the Bronx a good name. I’m sure he will.”
