By Nathan Duke
State Assemblywoman Ann-Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside) said she believes an investigation by state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will reveal that she has not misled her constituents by living out of the district for several months this year.
In a statement, Carrozza said her primary residence has consistently been Bayside even though she lived in what she described as an “investment property” that she and her husband purchased in Glen Head, L.I., from March to late June.
“I have resided in Bayside since 1988 and continue to — right on 205th Street,” the assemblywoman said. “My husband maintains a separate residence in Glen Head where I spend time so our family can be together, but my primary residence remains in Bayside. I welcome the attorney general’s review as an opportunity to put this issue to rest once and for all. I am confident he will find that at all times I have maintained my primary residence right here in Bayside.”
Cuomo’s office would not comment on whether his staff was conducting an investigation to determine if Carrozza had broken the law by living out of the district.
The Queens County Republican Party had recently called for Cuomo, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and the state Ethics Board to investigate whether Carrozza had engaged in any wrongdoing by living in the $1.8 million Long Island home known as “The Crossways” that she and her husband, Dr. William Duke, had bought in June 2008. Carrozza said she moved back to the district earlier this month.
Mortgage papers for the Glen Head home obligate the owner to “occupy the property and use the property as [their] principal residence within 60 days.” It also requires the owner to “continue to occupy the property and use the property for at least one year.”
In June, the 42-year-old assemblywoman said she and her husband had purchased the Long Island house outside the district because they planned to adopt a child and search for a new home in Bayside. The Queens property in which she previously lived would not provide enough space for three children, she said.
In mid-July, the assemblywoman said she intended to run for re-election despite sources familiar with the Queens Democratic Party, who said she did not plan another bid for her seat.
The GOP had also blasted Carrozza for her attendance record in Albany. A spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) said the assemblywoman had been present for 25 legislative days this year and had excused absences on 44 days. In 2008, she was present for 36 sessions and excused for 25 sessions, according to Assembly records.
Carrozza attributed her absences to a personal family matter and vowed to improve her attendance in 2010. In a statement issued earlier this month, she said she is currently attempting to advance legislation in the Assembly that would protect seniors by cracking down on annuity and insurance scams.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.Will try again
