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January 2009
Senate Leadership Announced
Malcolm Smith Elected Senate Majority Leader
On the heels of a tumultuous negotiation with the now somewhat notorious “Gang of Three,” Senator Malcolm Smith was elected Senate Majority Leader in a floor vote preceding Governor Paterson’s State of the State Address Wednesday, January 7, 2009.
His election represents a sea change in New York’s political dynamic, as Democrats take control of the State Senate for the first time in 43 years. Smith struck a deal at a meeting late Tuesday with three dissident Democrats who had refused to support him since the November election, when Democrats won control of the senate with a two-seat majority for the first time since 1965.
Senator Smith has served as Minority Leader since November 2006, and was first elected to the Senate in 2000 representing the 14th Senate District in Queens. His professional background is a mix of both public service and in private business. Prior to being elected to the State Senate, Senator Smith served as a senior aide to former Congressman Floyd H. Flake, chief aide to former City Councilman Archie Spigner, a City Hall assistant to former Mayor Edward I. Koch and was a member of the national advance staff for Vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro.
Senator Smith is also a former executive in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and has served as President of the Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica. He created the not-for-profit Southeast Queens Housing Development Corporation to purchase, rehabilitate and sell City and HUD owned properties. Senator Smith also founded a training program for students in real estate development.
Senator Smith earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Fordham University, and also holds a certificate in negotiation from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Adelphi University. He is married and the father of two young children.
Senate Committee Chairs
With control of the State Senate shifting from Republicans to Democrats, the chairs of each committee in that house will also change. Senator Smith announced the following committee chair assignments:
- Senator Eric Adams: Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs
- Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr.: Elections
- Senator Darrel Aubertine: Agriculture
- Senator Neil Breslin: Insurance
- Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.: Aging
- Senator Martin Malave Dilan: Transportation
- Senator Tom Duane: Health
- Senator Pedro Espada, Jr: Vice President of the Senate for Urban Policy; Vice Chair, Rules Committee, Chair, Housing Construction and Community Development
- Senator Brian X. Foley: Ethics
- Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson: Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections
- Senator Shirley Huntley: Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
- Senator Craig Johnson: Investigations and Government Operations
- Senator Jeff Klein: Deputy Majority Leader
- Senator Liz Krueger: Vice Chair Finance, Chair of Select Committee on Budget Reform
- Senator Carl Kruger: Finance
- Senator Hiram Monserrate: Consumer Protection
- Senator Velmanette Montgomery: Children and Families
- Senator George Onorato: Labor
- Senator Suzi Oppenheimer: Education
- Senator Kevin Parker: Energy and Telecommunications
- Senator Bill Perkins: Corporations, Authorities and Commissions
- Senator John Sampson: Judiciary
- Senator Diane Savino: Civil Service and Pensions
- Senator Eric Schneiderman: Codes
- Senator Jose Serrano, Jr.: Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development
- Senator Daniel Squadron: Cities
- Senator William Stachowski: Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business
- Senator Toby Ann Stavisky: Higher Education
- Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins: Local Government
- Senator Antoine Thompson: Environmental Conservation
- Senator David Valesky: TBD
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