June 15, 2007
MUSICAL CHAIRS
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Ortiz will helm Alcoholism & Drug Abuse committee
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Here's a quick story from the great NY Daily News "Daily Politics" blog on new committee chairs in the Assembly.
The departure of Alexander "Pete" Grannis for the DEC commissioner's office created a vacancy in the chairmanship of the Assembly Insurance Committee — a plum that was awarded by Speaker Sheldon Silver to filled Assemblyman Joe Morelle, a Rochester Democrat.
Morelle, as you may recall, was one of several legislative candidates for state comptroller who stepped aside back in February to make way for his colleague, Tom DiNapoli, to become the state's top fiscal watchdog.
Morelle's promotion created what is known in Legislature-speak as churn — the game of musical chairmanships that occurs when one member moves up or strikes out for greener pastures.
His old committee, Tourism, went to Assemblyman Steven Englebright, of Suffolk County. Englebright's old committee, Aging, went to Jeffrey Dinowitz, of the Bronx; who turned over his committee, Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, to Felix Ortiz, of Brooklyn.
Ortiz used to head Veterans Affairs, which went to Manhattan's Adriano Espaillat, whose old committee, Oversight, Analysis and Investigation, went to Joan Millman, also of Brooklyn.
Got all that?
All of the committee posts mentioned above carry a $12,500 stipend (AKA "lu-lu").
One more change: Assemblyman Peter Rivera has stepped down after seven years as chair of the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force (it was a voluntary move, he said), and is being replaced by Carmen Arroyo. This post carries no lu-lu.