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Carl Heastie was elected speaker of the New York State Assembly on Feb. 3, making him the first African American to hold the powerful position. Heastie, a Democrat from the Bronx, succeeds Sheldon Silver who resigned after being charged with allegedly taking nearly $4 million in payoffs and kickbacks. The charges include accepting nearly $700,000 from a law firm for referring two large developers who benefited from tax-abatement programs. He has denied wrongdoing and has said he would be vindicated.
