ARCHIVES OF LEAD STORIES
February 17, 2005
Black reps get new committee assignments
Yawu Miller
More than any other move, House Speaker Sal Dimasi’s appointment
of state Rep. Byron Rushing’s as second assistant majority
leader signals the reverasl of fortunes legislators of color have
seen since the departure of House Speaker Thomas Finneran.
Rushing, who was chairman of the influential Insurance Committee
under previous House Speaker Charles Flaherty, was stripped of
his post and exiled from his plush, second floor office to a hole-in-the
wall on the building’s 5th floor.
Finneran, who was apparently punishing Rushing for failing to
support his candidacy for House Speaker, similarly punished other
black legislators, leaving the leadership ranks of the House largely
bereft of color.
DiMasi, who took power after Finneran abruptly quit his post last
year — shortly after reports surfaced of a federal probe
into his testimony during a redistricting lawsuit — has
effectively re-colorized the House leadership with appointments
including:
• Rep. Marie St. Fleur as vice chairwoman of the influential
Ways and Means Committee,
• Rep. Ben Swann as vice chairman of the Bond and Capital
Expenditures Committee,
• Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez as vice chairman of the new Joint
Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies,
• Rep. Cheryl Rivera as chairwoman of Homeland Security,
• Rep. Shirley Owens Hicks as chairwoman of the new Committe
on Children and Families.
Additionally, reps Gloria Fox and William Lantigua were appointed
to Ways and Means, traditionally viewed as one of the more powerful
committees on Beacon Hill.
“It’s one of the most coveted positions,” noted
St. Fleur. “It’s where decisions on the budget are
made.”
St. Fleur says the committee assignments show a new willingness
in the House leadership to empower diverse constituencies.
“Part of what the speaker is doing is making the House more
responsive to the needs of our constituents,” she said.
“We are all in critical positions that put us at the center
of policy and the fiscal needs of the state.”
St. Fleur’s own appointment is somewhat of a lateral move.
Under Finneran, who considered her an ally, she was chairwoman
of the Education Committee. While a vice chairmanship is technically
a demotion, however, the influence of a leadership position on
Ways and Means in the House makes an assignment to the committee
a coveted position.
The concentration of Black Caucus members in leadership positions
bodes well for the community, according to Horace Small, executive
director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods.
“This is like Glasnost overnight,” he said. “We
have a chance now for folks to be heard. We have a chance to move
some legislation. We have a chance for the black community to
flex some muscle.”
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