Who is Carl Heastie? NY Assembly Speaker allows Andrew Cuomo impeachment probe amid sexual harassment scandal
The New York state assembly speaker Carl Heastie has authorized the assembly's judiciary committee to start an “impeachment investigation” into the sexual misconduct allegations brought by six women against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The panel’s investigation, which would run parallel to one being led by the state attorney general, Letitia James, would be authorized to interview witnesses, warrant documents and evaluate evidence, ordered Heastie. “The reports of accusations concerning the governor are serious,” Heastie said in a statement. Heastie, who said he decided to launch the investigation after meeting with fellow Democrats who control the assembly, said last weekend that Cuomo should “seriously consider whether he can effectively meet the needs of the people of New York”.
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Cuomo, 63, has denied all the six allegations by the women, most of whom are former aides. The most recent is an unnamed aide who told the Times-Union newspaper on Tuesday, March 9, that Cuomo had groped her after calling her to the executive mansion last year under the pretext of business. Cuomo denied the groping accusation, saying “I have never done anything like this” and calling the details “gut-wrenching”. The governor issued a broad apology at a news conference last week for any behavior that made women feel uncomfortable, but he maintained that he had never touched anyone inappropriately.
The list of New York politicians, including Cuomo’s fellow Democrats, calling on the governor to step down has been growing and on Thursday, March 11, it included the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, who said Cuomo “Just can’t serve as governor any more”.
More than 55 Democratic New York legislators followed suit in a letter calling for Cuomo’s resignation on March 11. “As legislators and as New Yorkers we all must decide what is best for the future of New York state,” read the letter, which was posted on Twitter by one of its signatories, the Democratic assemblywoman Amanda Septimo, of the South Bronx.
Who is Carl Heastie?
Born on September 25, 1967, in New York City, Heastie completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from Stony Brook University and an MBA in Finance from Baruch College. Before his election to the Assembly, Heastie worked as a budget analyst for the New York City Comptroller. Heastie has also worked as an adjunct professor at Monroe College.
According to the NY Assembly's official website, Heastie is serving as the 100th Speaker of the New York State Assembly. "He has the historic style of being the first African-American to serve as the leader of the Chamber’s 150 members representing communities across the state of New York. Since February 3, 2015, he has led the Assembly Majority in efforts to uplift communities and promote a Families First agenda that prioritizes strategic investments in the health, safety, economic and social well-being of New York’s families. Under his leadership, the Assembly has won a number of landmark victories that deliver on the Assembly Majority’s promise to expand opportunities for achievement in communities around the state."
Before becoming the Speaker, Heastie worked as chair of the Assembly Labor Committee. He was the chief mediator in securing an increase in the minimum wage and in 2015, with the help of his Majority partners he began the fight for $15 in the New York State Legislature. These efforts ended in 2016 with the successful performance of a progressive plan to raise the minimum wage across the state to provide workers at the lowest rungs of the economic ladder a fair chance to achieve financial independence and success. Before becoming Speaker he was also the prime sponsor of the Wage Theft Prevention Act that provided a framework for the State Department of Labor to root out incidences of wage theft and help aggrieved workers reclaim their illegally withheld earnings.