Democrat Carl Heastie elected speaker of New York Assembly
ALBANY— Carl Heastie was elected speaker of the New York state Assembly on Tuesday, making him the first African-American to hold the powerful position.
Heastie is a Democrat from the Bronx. He succeeds Sheldon Silver, who resigned after being charged with taking nearly $4 million in payoffs and kickbacks.
Democrats hold a commanding majority in the chamber, and Heastie easily won the post over Republican Minority Leader Brian Kolb.