The dean of the New York state Assembly is retiring after 52 years.
Richard Gottfried, a Manhattan Democrat from the 75th district, says his run as the longest-serving lawmaker in state history will conclude at the end of his 26th term next year. Elected at age 23, Gottfried is now 74.
A champion for progressive causes, Gottfried has long served as the powerful chair of the Health Committee. He says he is retiring from a career “while I’m still loving it.”
In recent months, Gottfried clashed with the Cuomo administration over COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes.
“I think the problems that I’ve had and that I think New Yorkers have had with the Health Department, I think are the responsibility of [Gov. Cuomo],” he told WAMC in September.
In a statement, Governor Kathy Hochul says the impact of the laws Gottfried “authored and of his leadership will be felt by New Yorkers for generations.”
