The first shoe formally drops on the growing Lester Chang scandal --- will this become something bigger than a question of eligibility and residency ???

 

The NYS Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie has referred the matter to the Assembly's Judicicary Committee to investigate and report;  and formally warned the Republican Minority Leader William Barclay that a potential member of the Republican minority caucus, Asssemblyman-Elect Lester Chang from Brooklyn's 49th AD, may not be allowed to sit as a member of the NYS Assembly

Thus far, the relative silence from Lester Chang  ---  as well as those functionaries of the Brooklyn GOP and Conservative Party responsible for filing the petitions containing Lester Chang's name with his purported Brooklyn address at 1015 East 29th Street, Brooklyn 11210 listed upon them  ---  seems quite ominous.....

Thus far there has been no indication that the Brooklyn or Albany DA might be investigating these matters for what clearly appears to have possibly involved several criminal acts by several people

Here's Assembly Speaker Hastie's formal statement:

"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:...  December 2, 2022...  Statement from Speaker Carl Heastie....  Credible and serious questions have been raised regarding the status of Assemblymember-elect Lester Chang’s eligibility to assume office given the residency requirements for service in the New York State Assembly as established in Article III, §7 of the New York State Constitution. The New York State Constitution is very clear:...  § 7. No person shall serve as a member of the legislature unless he or she is a citizen of the United States and has been a resident of the state of New York for five years, and, except as hereinafter otherwise prescribed, of the assembly or senate district for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election; if elected a senator or member of assembly at the first election next ensuing after a readjustment or alteration of the senate or assembly districts becomes effective, a person to be eligible to serve as such, must have been a resident of the county in which the senate or assembly district is contained for the twelve months immediately preceding his or her election....  We have an obligation to ensure that all members adhere to these constitutional residency requirements. I have spoken to Minority Leader Barclay and have notified him that I am directing the Assembly Judiciary Committee, under the leadership of Chair Charles D. Lavine, to begin a review and to complete its work by the end of the month. The completed review will be forwarded to the new Assembly for consideration when it convenes in January...."   [https://nyassembly.gov/Press/?sec=story&story=104067]