When the Assembly speakership opened up for the first time in a generation, a handful of contenders for the office was quickly whittled down to one: Assemblyman Carl Heastie of the Bronx. The official vote in early February was a coronation. A Bronx contingent featuring state Sen. Jeffrey Klein and Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr. gathered in the Assembly chamber to witness Heastie’s ascension as the first Assembly speaker from the borough.
Also on hand was Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, who several weeks later would take Heastie’s place as Bronx Democratic Party chairman. Assemblyman José Rivera, who was ousted by Heastie as Bronx party boss in 2008, showed no sign of hard feelings. “My friend, I wish you the best,” Rivera told Heastie. “I think you’re up to it.”
Read the rest of “The Rise of Bronx Power.”
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