Assembly Seeking an Executive Director for its New Office of Ethics and Compliance

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) announced today that the Assembly has begun a search for the head of its newly created Office of Ethics and Compliance.

The responsibilities of the position include educating and assisting Assembly members and staff to ensure adherence with laws and regulations, and providing recommendations to strengthen legislative ethics within the Assembly.

He or she will will be responsible for outreach to members; providing ethics training for Assembly members and staff; responding to questions and providing assistance with financial disclosure statements; reviewing best practices in legislative ethics and making recommendations for improvements; and working with the Ethics Counsel of both the Majority and Minority conferences to identify areas for review.

Speaker Heastie said:

“New Yorkers expect and deserve transparency in government and elected officials who  work for public and not for their own interests.  The Office of Ethics and Compliance will lead the way for meaningful reform, and its director will have the opportunity to help create change. Our state should have a government as good as its people and our officials must be beyond reproach. The person chosen to lead this new office will not only be committed to compliance with stringent ethical standards, but will also be proactive in identifying areas where our rules and regulations need improvement.”

Speaker Heastie appointed a bi-partisan search committee in February, shortly after he was elected as Assembly Speaker. (Read my prior blog post here.)