Would-be candidates await Harris’ next move
If indicted lawmaker quits, special election takes place
A Southwest Brooklyn lawmaker’s trouble with the law could turn out to be a boon for would-be candidates hoping to run for her seat in the event she steps down.
Brooklyn’s political world was recently rocked by the indictment of Assemblymember Pamela Harris (D-Coney Island-Dyker Heights-Bay Ridge), who was hit with federal charges of wire fraud, conspiracy, making false statements and witness tampering stemming from an alleged theft of thousands of dollars from government agencies involving a nonprofit organization she founded and Superstorm Sandy relief.
Harris can still serve as a member of the New York State Assembly while under indictment, but she could come under increasing pressure from Democratic Party officials to give up her seat.