February 3, 2015
ALBANY, NY – Statement from Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R, Canisteo, Hartsville, Howard):
“I would like to congratulate Mr. Heastie on his election as speaker of the New York State Assembly. This was truly a historic day in our chamber, as we witnessed the election of the first African American to serve as speaker. I wish Speaker Heastie well in his new role.
“Now it is time to get to work. There is too much important work to do on behalf of the families of New York State. It is such a tremendous honor and privilege to serve in the NYS Assembly, which is why it’s imperative that we come together to restore some public confidence in this institution, which has been stained by scandal and corruption. The people of our state need leadership to address the challenges we face, and it is my hope that we can work together in a bipartisan way to restore the public’s trust while adopting policies that improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers.”
Statement from Assemblyman Joe Giglio (R, Alfred, Almond, Jasper):
“I extend my sincere congratulations to my colleague Carl Heastie on his election to be the Speaker of the New York State Assembly. On this historic occasion of electing a new speaker after 21 plus years of rule under the previous leadership, the opportunity has presented itself to make significant reforms to allow the People’s House of the Legislature to operate in a true democratic fashion. I urge my Assembly colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take full advantage of this opportunity and immediately reform the Rules of the Assembly to ensure an open, transparent and inclusive government that functions for all New Yorkers across our State.
My hope is that we, as a body, will work together to serve all residents of the State of New York in order to make our State a better place. Although I would have preferred the process of electing a new speaker to include more dialogue on reforming the operation of the Chamber and to be more inclusive of members on both sides of the aisle, I’m hopeful that Speaker Carl Heastie will prove that he is an open and transparent leader, negotiator and communicator in dealing with members of the Assembly regardless of party affiliation or geographic location.”
