ALBANY – One of Chenango County’s state assembly representatives, Clifford Crouch (R-Bainbridge), reacted to the election of Carl Heastie as the new speaker for the New York State Assembly on Tuesday.
Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, takes the seat after previous speaker Sheldon Silver resigned in light of corruption charges. Silver is accused of taking nearly $4 million in payoffs in exchange for political favors.
Said Crouch, “Today is an historic day for our institution, and for all New Yorkers, and a turning of the page for new leadership in the NYS Assembly. Having been colleagues with Speaker Carl Heastie for many years, I look forward to continue working with him in a bipartisan way on important policies that desperately need attention. Together, we can enact ethics reform including pension forfeiture for corrupt officials, term limits for legislative leadership positions and greater transparency; tax relief measures for our overburdened taxpayers and businesses; and education reforms to provide our children with the quality education that they deserve.”
Crouch added, “We all can agree that now is time for significant changes in Albany, and for New York, and I am hopeful that we can journey down a path that restores our state as the Empire State.”