NEWS

Nine vacancies in N.Y. Legislature, but no plans for special elections

Joseph Spector
Wires


The Assembly Chambers inside the New York State Capitol Building in Albany.

ALBANY – The state Legislature will return to Albany next week with nine vacancies and no indication that Gov. Andrew Cuomo will call special elections to fill the seats.

The vacancies are the result of lawmakers either leaving for other jobs or being elected to local offices. Seven vacancies are in the Assembly, with two in the Senate.

Bill Reilich, an assemblyman from Greece, was elected town supervisor. Annie Rabbitt, an assemblywoman from Greenwood Lake, Orange County, was elected county clerk. They started their new posts Wednesday.

Reilich, who also heads the county GOP committee, said that his Assembly office is closed. He's concerned about constituent services for the district and others around the state that will be without representation.

On Thursday, the Assembly websites for Rabbitt and Reilich had already been taken down. The Legislature returns to Albany for session Wednesday when Cuomo will give his State of the State address.

At least one million people will no longer "have a voice in what happens in Albany throughout the next year, the last year of a session, which usually produces some pretty dramatic bills," Reilich said. "These people won't have a voice, won't have a say, won't have representation."

Four Democratic assemblymen were elected to the New York City Council. Republican Assemblyman Tony Jordon was elected Washington County district attorney.

Cuomo indicated in November that he had no plans to call special elections. It's up to him whether to call the special elections or leave them vacant until the November elections.

"It's a balance of the cost and the hardship of the election versus the community's right to representation," Cuomo told reporters Nov. 18. "But we don't have any plans as of now."

Since then, there has been another vacancy: Sen. Charles Fuschillo, R-Nassau County, resigned Jan 1. to enter the private sector. The other Senate vacancy arose when Sen. Eric Adams, D-Brooklyn, was elected as Brooklyn borough president.

Also, two assemblymen face an uncertain future. Assemblymen Dennis Gabryszak, D-Cheektowaga, Erie County, and Micah Kellner, D-Manhattan, are facing calls they resign over their alleged sexual harassment of female aides.

Cuomo faced a similar situation after the 2011 local elections. In January 2012, he called five special elections to fill legislative seats on March 20 that year to coincide with village elections.

JSPECTOR@Gannett.com

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