Brian Kolb
Brian M. Kolb is an American politician serving as the member of the New York State Assembly for the 131st district since 2000 and minority leader since 2009, he was unanimously chosen as the State Assembly Republican Leader following the resignation of Jim Tedisco and is the longest-serving legislative leader in the both the New York Senate and State Assembly. Kolb was first elected during a special election. Kolb was born in New York, he received his Associate of Arts degree from Saint Petersburg Junior College in 1980. From 1986 to 1987, he was the Town Supervisor for the Town of Richmond, therefore on the Ontario County Board of Supervisors. In 1996, he received his B. S. from Roberts Wesleyan College, he continued on to receive his M. S. in 1998. He became an adjunct professor at Roberts Wesleyan in 2000, he was co-founder of North American Filter Corp, as well as the Former President/COO of Refractron Technologies Corp. Kolb was first elected in a February 2000 special election, has been re-elected every two years since that time.
Kolb serves as Assembly Minority Leader, as Ranking Minority Member on the Committee on Rules, as a member of several other standing committees. A member of the National Rifle Association, Kolb appeared alongside the organization's controversial CEO, Wayne LaPierre, at a 2012 lobby day event in Albany. Kolb is a member of the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association. Receiving an A+ grade from them in the past. In 2017, Kolb was the only one of New York's five state legislative leaders and six statewide elected officials to support a Yes vote on the State Constitutional Convention, which lost with only 16% of the vote. Kolb is unusual among New York legislators, he is a member of the member of the Advisory Board for the Ontario ARC, a member of the Sons of the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus and the American Irish Legislators Society. National Federation of Independent Business'Guardian of Small Business Award' six times. Kolb had been named as a leading contender to challenge first-term Democrat Eric Massa for the United States House of Representatives seat representing New York's 29th congressional district in 2010.
Though his potential candidacy was never taken he has declined an opportunity to run against Kirsten Gillibrand for United States Senate, again declined to seek the 29th district seat after Massa's resignation, declined to run for Congress in 2012, this time against Democrat Kathy Hochul. On December 12, 2017, Kolb announced his intent to run for Governor of New York in 2018. Kolb resides in New York, he is married to Lauren Kolb and has three children: Britton and Kylie. He is the son, brother and uncle of veterans. New York State Assembly member website New York Republican Assembly Campaign Committee Brian M. Kolb: 2004 Politician Profile Campaign funding profile compiled by Opensecrets.org Response to New York League of Conservation Voters' Questionnaire
Sheila Abdus-Salaam
Sheila Abdus-Salaam was an American lawyer and judge. In 2013, after having served on the New York City Civil Court, the New York Supreme Court, the Appellate Division, Abdus-Salaam was nominated to the New York Court of Appeals and was unanimously confirmed as an Associate Judge by the New York State Senate, she was the first African-American female judge. Sheila Turner was born on March 14, 1952 in Washington, D. C. where she grew up in a working-class family with six siblings. She attended public schools there. While researching her family history as a child, she learned that her great-grandfather was a slave in Virginia. Turner obtained a bachelor's degree from Barnard College in 1974 and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1977. Among her classmates at Columbia was Eric Holder, the future United States Attorney General. Turner took her first husband's surname, Abdus-Salaam, retained it during her professional career. Before joining the bench, Abdus-Salaam worked as a staff attorney for Brooklyn Legal Services and served in the New York State Department of Law as an assistant attorney general in the civil rights and real estate financing bureaus.
She subsequently served on the New York City Civil Court, from 1992 to 1993. Abdus-Salaam was elected a Justice of the New York Supreme Court in 1993, served in that capacity from 1993 to 2009. In 2009, she was designated as a Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Judicial Department by Governor David Paterson, she served as an Associate Justice of the Appellate Division from 2009 until 2013. On April 5, 2013, following the death of New York Court of Appeals Judge Theodore T. Jones, Abdus-Salaam was nominated by Governor Andrew Cuomo to fill the resulting vacancy on New York's highest court, she was confirmed by the New York State Senate without opposition in a voice vote held May 6, 2013. She became the first female African-American judge to serve on the New York Court of Appeals. Abdus-Salaam was seen as a liberal voice on the bench. In 2016, she authored the opinion of the Court in In Re Brooke S. B. v. Elizabeth A. C. C. A landmark decision defending the rights of non-biological parents in same-sex partnerships to seek custody or visitation in circumstances where the partners had decided to conceive and raise a child together.
Abdus-Salaam's second husband, James Hatcher, was the son of Andrew Hatcher, who worked as a press officer for John F. Kennedy, her third husband was Hector Nova, from whom she was divorced in 2005. Abdus-Salaam married her fourth husband, Episcopal priest Gregory A. Jacobs, in June 2016. Abdus-Salaam's religious affiliation has been the subject of conflicting reports. While it was reported that Abdus-Salaam was the first Muslim to serve as a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, it appears that these reports were incorrect. Following Abdus-Salaam's death, Court of Appeals spokesperson Gary Spencer stated that she had never converted to Islam, but had retained the last name of her first husband. However, in an article on Abdus-Salaam's death, NBC News described Abdus-Salaam as "the first Muslim woman to serve as a U. S. judge" and added that her family asserted that she " not been a practicing Muslim for 20 years". Abdus-Salaam was found dead near West 132nd Street in Manhattan on the afternoon of April 12, 2017.
Her clothed body was found floating in the Hudson River hours after she was reported missing from her home in Harlem. Police told reporters that there were no signs of trauma or obvious injury on her body that might indicate foul play. On April 13, police stated that the death of Abdus-Salaam appeared to be a suicide, added that she had been struggling with depression. On April 18, police told reporters that the death was considered "suspicious" due to the lack of witnesses and lack of a suicide note. An autopsy, while reaching no conclusion about the cause of Abdus-Salaam's death, found bruises on her neck and water in her lungs; the bruising could have been caused by someone choking Abdus-Salaam, or could have resulted from the recovery of her body from the river. On April 21, police said they had recovered video from the night of April 11 that showed Abdus-Salaam, dressed in the clothes in which she was found dead, walking around Riverbank State Park along the Hudson River for hours. Police added.
On May 3, the New York Police Department announced that its investigation into the death of Abdus-Salaam was complete, that investigators believed she had committed suicide. The medical examiner concluded that the cause of death was drowning and that the manner of death was suicide. Hon. Sheila Abdus-Salaam profile, nycourts.gov Abdus-Salaam, Sheila. "In Re Brooke S. B. v. Elizabeth A. C. C.". New York Court System
Letitia James
Letitia "Tish" A. James is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of New York, having won the 2018 election to succeed appointed attorney general Barbara Underwood, she is first woman to be elected to the position. James served for a decade as a member of the New York City Council, the first black woman to hold citywide office, she represented the 35th Council District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, parts of Crown Heights, Prospect Heights, Bedford-Stuyvesant. James chaired the Economic Development and Sanitation Committees, served on several other committees, she was elected the New York City Public Advocate in 2013. Born and raised in Brooklyn, James obtained her J. D. degree at Howard University in Washington, D. C. after graduating from Lehman College in The Bronx. She worked as a public defender was on staff in the New York State Assembly, worked as an Assistant Attorney General, she first won on the Working Families Party ballot line.
James was born in the daughter of Nellie and Robert James. She attended New York City public schools and received her B. A. from the City University of New York's Lehman College in 1981. She received her J. D. degree from the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D. C. and was admitted to practice law in New York state in 1989. She is attending Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs for a degree in Master of Public Administration. James served as a public defender for the Legal Aid Society and established the Urban Network, a coalition of African American professional organizations aimed at providing scholarships for young people. In 1994, she promoted the Primary Health Care Development Bill in the City Council, which expanded day care resources for working families across the city. In 1996, James negotiated the Welfare Reform Act on behalf of the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, she served on former New York Governor Mario Cuomo's Task Force on Diversity in the Judiciary.
She served as counsel for Albert Vann, Chief of Staff for Roger L. Green in the New York State Assembly, in the administration of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, she was appointed the first Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Brooklyn regional office in 1999. While working in that position, James worked in many capacities but notably focused on consumer complaints involving predatory lending and other unlawful business practices. James' first run for the 35th Council District was in November 2001. In a close race, James received 42% of the vote on the Working Families Party line but lost to James E. Davis, a Democrat. In July 2003, just months before the next election, Davis was assassinated by Othniel Askew, a former political rival. Following Davis's death, his brother Geoffrey ran for his vacant Council seat on the Democratic Party ticket, but on election day, November 4, 2003, Geoffrey Davis lost by a large margin to James as the Working Families Party nominee. In that 2003 race James became a member of the Working Families Party, was the first citywide office-holder to run on the WFP line.
James is the first member of the Working Families Party to win office in New York State, the first third-party member to be elected to the city council since 1977. She has since changed back to the Democratic party. In 2005, James became involved in advocating against the proposed Brooklyn Nets Arena in her district, a case that put her against her Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Borough President Marty Markowitz and developer Bruce Ratner. James opposed the use of eminent domain to evict her constituents, selling the MTA's Atlantic Yards property below its market value, keeping the planning of the project away from the New York City Council. James again won the Working Families and the Democratic parties' nominations by a large margin over Samuel Eric Blackwell, an urban planner at Long Island University and pro-stadium advocate, she was re-elected on the Democratic line on November 8, 2005, with 88.11% of the vote, compared to 6.80% for Republican Anthony Herbert, 5.08% for Independence Party candidate Charles B.
Billups. On October 10, 2006, there was a devastating fire at the Broken Angel House, an architectural icon in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; the fire attracted attention from the New York City Department of Buildings, which resulted in the citation of numerous building code violations. James represented Arthur Wood, pro bono in his negotiations to keep his home; the agency decided to allow Wood to re-occupy Broken Angel provided the upper levels were taken down and the central stairwell reconstructed. James was the sponsor of New York law 2007/29, which addressed the Alternative Enforcement Program by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and violations of the housing maintenance code and multiple dwelling law, she was the first to question cost overruns and irregularities in the subcontracting work of the new CityTime payroll system much touted by Bloomberg which led to several indictments, Bloomberg asking a tech giant for $600 million back, two consultants fleeing the country in 2011.
James advocated for the demolition of the Second Empire houses on Admiral's Row in order to build a parking lot for a proposed supermarket to serve residents in nearby housing developments, but supported preserving some of the historic housing. In 2008, with Bill de Blasio, advocated against Mayor Michael Bloomberg's attempts to seek a third term without a voter referendum. James won the Democratic primary in September 2009 against her opponents, community orga
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
The Appellate Divisions of the Supreme Court of the State of New York are the intermediate appellate courts in New York State. There are one in each of the state's four Judicial Departments; each Appellate Division hears appeals from the superior courts in civil cases, the Supreme Court in criminal cases, the county courts in felony criminal cases in the Third and Fourth Judicial Departments. In addition, in civil cases it may hear appeals from the appellate terms of the Supreme Court when these courts have heard appeals from one of the lower trial courts. New York's rules of civil procedure allow for interlocutory appeals of right from nearly every order and decision of the trial court, meaning that most may be appealed to the appropriate appellate department while the case is still pending in the trial court. An Appellate Division may make decisions of law and fact with respect to its power to hear first appeals from state trial courts, including the Supreme Court and County Courts; these trial level courts exercise specific jurisdiction.
In contrast, both the New York Court of Appeals and the Appellate Division when it sits as a final appeals court with respect to appeals arising from decisions of the Appellate Terms in the First and Second Departments may only decide questions of law. The Appellate Division may adjudicate facts subject to specific constraints in the course of initial review of agency decisions under New York's CPLR Article 78, which provides for limited court review or agency and corporate decisions. Decisions of the Appellate Division department panels are binding on the lower courts in that department, on lower courts in other departments unless there is contrary authority from the Appellate Division of that department. If two different departments have made different rulings on the same issue the lower courts in each departmental area must follow the ruling made by the higher court for their particular department; this can sometimes result in the same law being applied differently in different departments.
When this occurs, the highest court in the state, the Court of Appeals, can remedy the situation by hearing the case and issuing a single ruling, binding on every court in the state. Every opinion and motion of the Appellate Division sent to the New York State Reporter of the New York State Law Reporting Bureau is required to be published in the Appellate Division Reports. Opinions of the appellate terms are published selectively in the Miscellaneous Reports; the First Department covers The Manhattan. Justice Rolando Acosta is this department's Presiding Justice as of May 22, 2017; the Second Department covers Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester counties. This department is the largest in terms of population. Hon. Randall T. Eng, who served as this department's Presiding Justice until January 2018, was the first Asian-American judge to hold such a position in New York State. Hon. Alan Scheinkman is the current Presiding Justice; the Third Department includes an area extending from the territory of the Second Department north to New York's borders with Vermont and Quebec, includes the cities of Albany, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Binghamton.
This territory extends nearly as far west as Syracuse. Hon. Elizabeth A. Garry is the current Presiding Justice; the Fourth Department covers the remainder of the state, includes the cities of Buffalo and Syracuse. Hon. Gerald J. Whalen is the Presiding Justice; each department has a Character and Fitness Committee, whose members interview applicants in person for admission to the bar. Each department has a committee that investigates complaints of attorney misconduct and may issue reprimands or recommend censure, suspension, or disbarment to the Appellate Division; each case is in some instances four, justices of the Court. There is no procedure for the Court to sit en banc; some basic rules governing appeals are contained in Articles 55 and 57 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules. Each Department of the Appellate Division has its own individual set of rules governing more specific details of practice before that court. Prior to September 2018, unlike other states that have statewide rules of appellate procedure, there were no set of appellate rules shared by all four departments beyond those contained in the CPLR.
However, in June 2018, the Presiding Justices of the Appellate Division promulgated statewide Practice Rules of the Appellate Division, which became effective in September 2018 and are codified outside of the CPRL in 22 N. Y. C. R. R. Part 1250; the four Departments retain the ability to supplement and the uniform Rules by promulgating rules of their own. Decisions by an Appellate Division may be appealed to the state's highest court, the New York Court of Appeals. In some cases, an appeal lies of right, but in most cases, permission to appeal must be obtained, either from the Appellate Division itself or from the Court of Appeals. In civil cases, the Appellate Division panel or Court of Appeals votes on petitions for leave to appeal.
Official residence
An official residence is the residence at which a nation's head of state, head of government, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure resides. It may or may not be the same location where the individual conducts work-related functions or lives. 3 Sutton Place, New York City Presidential Palace Presidential Palace Presidential Palace State House Kiriri Presidential Palace Unity Palace Palácio Presidencial Presidential Palace Presidential Palace Presidential Palace Kinshasa Presidential Palace Palais de la Nation Palais du mont Ngaliema Palais de Marbre Brazzaville Presidential Palace Le Palais de la Présidence Presidential Palace Abdeen Palace Heliopolis Palace Koubbeh Palace Montaza Palace Ras el-Tin Palace Government Building Asmara President's Office National Palace Imperial Palace Presidential Palace State House Osu Castle formal residence Golden Jubilee House current residence Peduase Lodge retreat Presidential Palace Villa Syli Belle Vue Presidential Palace State House Royal Palace State House Executive Mansion Al-Sikka, Tripoli Al Nasr Convention Centre Dar al-Salam Hotel Abusita Navy Base Royal Palace of Tripoli Bab al-Azizia Iavoloha Ambohitsorohitra Sanjika Palace New State House Presidential Palace Presidential Palace State House Clarisse House Mechouar Essaid, Rabat Dâr-al-Makhzen, Fes Dâr-al-Makhzen, Meknes Marchane Palace, Tangier Bahia Palace, Marrakech El Badi Palace, Marrakech Palácio da Ponta Vermelha State House Presidential Palace Aso Rock Villa Rivers State:Government House Urugwiro Presidential Palace Palais de la Republique State House State House Villa Somalia Mahlamba Ndlopfu, Genadendal Residence, Cape Town Leeuwenhof Cape Province:Government House Transvaal:Government House Natal:Government House Orange Free State:Government House Presidential Palace Presidential Palace Lozitha Palace State House The Palace of the Governors Carthage Palace State House State House State House Government House Government House Government House Ilaro Court Palace of the Revolution Presidential Palace Government House Palacio Nacional, Dominican Republic Government House National Palace King's House Government House Jamaica House Vale Royal Government House Government House Government House President's House St. Anns Diplomatic Residence Whitehall Official residence Belize House Government House Rideau Hall Citadelle of Quebec 24 Sussex Drive Harrington Lake Stornoway The Farm, Gatineau Park 7 Rideau Gate British Columbia:Government House Manitoba:Government House New Brunswick:Old Government House Nova Scotia:Government House Prince Edward Island:Government House Newfoundland and Labrador:Government House Quebec:Édifice Price/Price Building *The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec no longer have official residences for their lieutenant governors, but do provide them with accommodations.
Casa Presidencial, Costa Rica Casa Presidencial called Casa Blanca Casa Presidencial National Palace Palacio José Cecilio del Valle None. The President uses own private residence. Los Pinos National Palace Castillo de Chapultepec *In every state of the Mexico the Palacio de Gobierno, or Government Palace, was the official residence the governor, they are now maintained as the relevant governor's offices. Querétaro Casa de la Corregidora Presidential Palace Presidential Palace Palacio de las Garzas White House Camp David Number One Observatory Circle Blair House Presidential Townhouse Trowbridge House Waldorf Astoria New York (Ambassador to
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly, with each of the 150 Assembly districts having an average population of 128,652. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits; the Assembly convenes at the State Capitol in Albany. The Speaker of the Assembly presides over the Assembly; the Speaker is elected by the Majority Conference followed by confirmation of the full Assembly through the passage of an Assembly Resolution. In addition to presiding over the body, the Speaker has the chief leadership position, controls the flow of legislation and committee assignments; the minority leader is elected by party caucus. The majority leader of the Assembly is selected by, serves at the pleasure of, the Speaker; the current Speaker is Democrat Carl Heastie of the 83rd Assembly District. The Majority Leader is Crystal Peoples-Stokes of the 141st Assembly District The Minority Leader is Republican Brian Kolb of the 131st Assembly District.
As of July 23, 2018, the following is a list of Assembly committees and committee chairs. +Elected in a special election New York State Capitol New York Legislature New York State Senate Political party strength in New York New York Provincial Congress Official website
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature. There are 63 seats in the Senate, its members are elected to two-year terms. There are no term limits; the New York State Senate was dominated by the Republican Party for much of the 20th century. Between World War II and the turn of the 21st century, the Democratic Party only controlled the upper house for one year. Following the 1964 presidential election, the Democrats took control of the Senate in 1965. In April 2018, The Wall Street Journal described the State Senate as the "last bastion of power" of the Republican Party in the State of New York. On Election Day 2018, Democrats gained eight Senate seats, taking control of the chamber from the Republicans; the following day, The New York Times wrote that the Democrats had "decisively evict Republicans from running the State Senate, which they controlled for all but three years since World War II." At the beginning of the 2019-2020 legislative session, the Senate Democratic Conference held 39 of the chamber's 63 seats.
Democrats won 32 of 62 seats in New York's upper chamber in the 2008 general election on November 4, capturing the majority for the first time in more than four decades. The Republicans had held the chamber for all but one year from 1939 to 2008 as New York turned solidly Democratic at all levels. However, a power struggle emerged. Four Democratic senators — Rubén Díaz Sr. Carl Kruger, Pedro Espada, Jr. and Hiram Monserrate — refused to caucus with their party. The self-named "Gang of Four" refused to back Malcolm Smith as the chamber's majority leader and sought concessions. Monserrate soon rejoined the caucus after reaching an agreement with Smith that included the chairmanship of the Consumer Affairs Committee; the remaining "Gang of Three" reached an initial compromise in early December that collapsed within a week, but was resolved with Smith becoming majority leader. At the beginning of the 2009–2010 legislative session, there were 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans in the Senate. On June 8, 2009, then-Senators Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada, Jr.--both Democrats—voted with the 30 Republican members to install Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos as the new majority leader of the Senate, replacing Democratic Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith.
The Associated Press described the vote as a "parliamentary coup". The move came after Republican whip Tom Libous introduced a surprise resolution to vacate the chair and replace Smith as temporary president and majority leader. In an effort to stop the vote, Democratic whip Jeff Klein unilaterally moved to recess, Smith had the lights and Internet cut off. In accordance with a prearranged deal, Espada was elected temporary president and acting lieutenant governor while Skelos was elected majority leader. Following the coup, Senate Democrats voted for John Sampson to replace Smith as Democratic Leader. On June 14, Monserrate declared; this development meant that the Senate was evenly split, 31–31, between the Republican Conference and the Democratic Conference. Due to a vacancy in the office of the Lieutenant Governor, there was no way to break the deadlock. Between June 8 and the end of the coup on July 9, the Senate did not conduct any official business. According to The New York Times, Espada's power play "threw the Senate into turmoil and hobbled the state government, making the body a national laughingstock as the feuding factions shouted and gaveled over each other in simultaneous legislative sessions."
The coup led to litigation. On July 9, 2009, the coup ended. Espada rejoined the Senate Democratic Conference after reaching a deal in which he would be named Senate Majority Leader, Sampson would remain Senate Democratic Leader, Smith would be Temporary President of the Senate during a "transition period" after which Sampson would ascend to the Temporary Presidency. On February 9, 2010, the Senate voted to expel Monserrate from the Senate following a misdemeanor domestic violence conviction. Espada was defeated in a September 2010 primary election in which the Democratic Party backed his challenger, Gustavo Rivera; the Republicans made a net gain of two seats in the 2010 elections to claim a 32–30 majority at the commencement of the January 2011 legislative session. One Republican Senate incumbent was defeated on Election Day, while Democratic candidate David Carlucci was elected to an open seat in Senate District 38, vacated due to the death of Republican Senator Thomas Morahan. Four Democratic incumbents lost their seats to Republicans in the 2010 elections.
Just before the new legislative session convened in January 2011, four Democrats, led by former Democratic whip Jeff Klein, broke away from the main Democratic Conference to form an Independent Democratic Conference. Klein said that he and his three colleagues, Diane Savino, David Carlucci and David Valesky could no longer support the leadership of Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson. In March 2011, "Gang of Four" member Senator Carl Kruger surrendered to bribery charges, he pleaded guilty to those charges in December 2011. Following the 2010 census, the Senate underwent redistricting and was expanded from 62 to 63 seats effective in January 2013; when all election night results w
