Latinos Missing from Assembly Leadership

El Diario/La Prensa Editorial
April 10, 2009

With at least one vacancy expected in the leadership of New York’s Assembly Majority, Speaker Sheldon Silver has the opportunity to address the absence of Latinos on that body.

On Wednesday, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that he is naming Assemblywoman Aurelia Greene as deputy borough president of the Bronx. With no real opposition, Diaz Jr. is considered a shoe-in for the Bronx borough presidency. His appointment of Greene, a veteran legislator, will leave a vacancy in the Assembly’s Majority Leadership, where she serves as Speaker Pro Tempore. In that position, she is second to Silver in presiding over the Assembly.

As it stands right now, there are 20 positions in the majority leadership. Not one of them is held by a Hispanic, despite the fact that there are 1.5 million eligible Latino voters and counting in New York. Clearly, Silver should take Greene’s pending departure, and others that are anticipated, to address his Latino-less leadership.

With rumors that more Assembly members may cast their lots for city races, other vacancies may arise. This means that Latino legislators must convene to ensure that Hispanics are meaningfully represented in new leadership and committee chair opportunities.

The issue of the lack of Latinos in Assembly leadership positions has already been put on Silver’s radar. And there are legislators who are in talks about pending openings. While some of them may feel more effective as heads of committees, this does not negate the need and importance of having Latino representation in the leadership conference of the Assembly.

Yes, at the helm of the Assembly, there are traditional carrots – a bigger stipend and prestige. But the important reality is that being in the Assembly’s leadership opens political access and a pipeline to larger statewide positions.

We encourage Latino legislators to be proactive in seizing—and creating—leadership opportunities and Speaker Silver to effectively respond to a growing community that deserves equitable representation.