Now it’s official.
After months of negotiations and uncertainty over which political party would rule the State Senate, Senate Democrats finally reached a deal that will put the Democrats in the majority for the first time in 40 years.
“This clearly is an historic day for all of us,” Queens State Senator Malcolm Smith, who will become the new Senate Majority Leader, said on Tuesday night, January 6, after his conference reached a deal securing the necessary votes. “I thank all of my colleagues who are here. They have joined together in what I believe will be a very exciting period for people of the state.”
Although the Democrats won the majority of seats on Election Day, three Democratic Senators, Rub/n D’az Sr., Pedro Espada Jr. and Carl Kruger withheld their support for Smith for Majority Leader in the hopes of securing positions on powerful Senate committees.
Talks of a done deal between Smith and the three renegade Senators began to heat up in mid-December, but that deal quickly fell apart, leaving open the possibility that the Smith might not receive enough votes to become the new Majority Leader.
However, after continued negotiations, the three decided to support Smith, and in return, they will each become chairs of powerful Senate committees. Diaz will chair the Aging Committee and lead a new Latino Task Force; Espada will chair the Housing Committee and become Vice Chair of the Senate Rules Committee; and Kruger will become chair of the powerful Finance Committee.
Smith said he looked forward to the challenges ahead, and he wants to restore the people’s faith and confidence in the state government.
“That starts with reforming the Legislature as well as making sure that each and every one of our committee chairs and our leadership team will put forward an agenda that people in the state will know that they have input, not that we dictate from the top down but from the bottom up,” Smith said.
Queens Senate Chairs
Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. - Elections
Senator Shirley Huntley
- Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities
Senator Hiram Monserrate
- Consumer Protection
Senator George Onorato
- Labor
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky
- Higher Education
