Malcolm Smith (U.S. politician)

Malcolm A. Smith
Member of the New York Senate from the 10th district
In office 2000–2002
Preceded by	Alton R. Waldon, Jr.
Succeeded by	Ada Smith
Member of the New York Senate from the 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 2003
Preceded by	George Onorato
Majority Leader of the New York State Senate
In office January 7, 2009 – June 8, 2009
Preceded by	Dean Skelos
Succeeded by	Dean Skelos
Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York
In office January 7, 2009 – June 8, 2009
Governor	David Paterson
Preceded by	Dean Skelos
Succeeded by	Pedro Espada Jr.
President Pro Tem of the New York State Senate
In office July 9, 2009 – December 31, 2010
Preceded by	Pedro Espada Jr.
Succeeded by	Dean Skelos
Personal details
Born	August 9, 1956 (1956-08-09) (age 55) Queens, New York
Nationality	American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Michele Lisby
Alma mater	Fordham University, Adelphi University
Signature

Malcolm A. Smith (born August 9, 1956)^[1] is an American politician. He is a Democratic member of the New York State Senate, elected in the 14th district which is located in Southeast Queens and includes Hollis, St. Albans, Cambria Heights, Queens Village, Rosedale and the entirety of the Rockaway Peninsula. Smith was Temporary President of the New York State Senate from 2009 to 2010, the first African-American to hold that position.

Early life

Senator Smith is a graduate of Fordham University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Economics. Senator Smith received an MBA from Adelphi University with a concentration in Finance and Operations Management. Senator Smith also completed certificate programs at both Harvard Law and the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, in Negotiations and "Strategies for Governing in an Economic Crisis," respectively. At Adelphi, Senator Smith's MBA was achieved with honors, inducting him into the prestigious International Honor Society in Business Administration-Delta Mu Delta. Delta Mu Delta was founded by the Dean of Harvard University and four professors from Yale and New York University in 1913. Prior to his public career, Smith had a distinguished career in real estate development. In 1985, he was named President of Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica. In 1991, he founded Smith Development Corporation, and subsequently built over 100 needed housing units in Southeastern Queens, Far Rockaway and Brooklyn, including several noteworthy commercial projects such as Pathmark Plaza-Springfield Gardens, the interior of the FAA building and the baseball fields at Roy Wilkins Park in Jamaica.

Political career

Smith began his career in public service as a senior aide to former Congressman Floyd H. Flake, from 1986-1991. Smith also served as a chief aide to former City Councilman Archie Spigner, was a City Hall assistant to former Mayor Edward I. Koch and was a member of the national advance staff for Vice-Presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. . Malcolm Smith was first elected to the New York State Senate in 2000.

Smith was elected Minority Leader in January 2007

After the 2008 elections, under Smith’s leadership state senate Democrats after 40 years gained a majority of senate seats, positioning Smith to become New York's first African American Senate Majority Leader; Smith was chosen Majority Leader and Temporary President in January 2009, but was removed from power on June 8, which triggered the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis. He returned to the temporary presidency on July 9 in an arrangement with Pedro Espada Jr. as Majority Leader, and John L. Sampson as Leader of the Democratic Caucus. Senator Malcolm A. Smith currently serves as Secretary of the New York State Democratic Conference and Ranking Member of the Banking Committee. He also serves as Co-Chair of the High Speed Rail Committee for the National Conference of State Legislators and he is a member of the Labor, Transportation and Health Committees. Prior to serving as Secretary of the Democratic Conference, he served as Immediate Past President Pro Tempore (2008-10). Upon election to his leadership post, Senator Smith immediately took action to change the culture of the State Senate by making it more open, transparent, and bipartisan. On the first day in his new leadership role, Smith began delivering on these goals by introducing and passing rules changes which fundamentally reformed the way the Senate operates and increased transparency to the public. He also established a bi-partisan Temporary Committee on Rules and Administration to examine and make recommendations for major changes in the operation and rules of the Senate. Smith has represented the 14th Senatorial District in Queens since winning a Special Election in March of 2000. His unique skills and diverse background in both the private and public sector has helped to foster expansion of social and economic opportunities for constituents in his home district of Southeast Queens. In both 2003 & 2004, as part of the New York to Shanghai Trade Mission, Senator Smith led a delegation of local businesses to China to open up a robust reciprocal exchange between the two countries. The trip was so successful that Senator Smith expanded those relationships to include an economic, cultural and educational "Sister to Sister" relationship between New York State and India and continued to build ties between local businesses and international markets. Senator Smith has become a national and international champion of High Speed Rail traveling across the United States and to notable international cities to make speeches advocating for increased high speed commuter rail. At the local level, Smith brought millions of dollars into Queens to help build affordable housing, improve schools and create jobs. In his first year in the State Senate, Senator Smith collaborated with Assemblywoman Barbara Clarke to secure $1 million for the Jamaica Clinic, a first-of-its-kind health clinic in Hollis, New York. In 2002, Senator Smith collaborated with City and State officials to negotiate an agreement which provided $10 million to clean up a toxic site in Jamaica, Queens. Senator Smith has been and remains a proud supporter of public charter schools. He is the founder of Peninsula Preparatory Academy, the first public charter school in the Rockaways, and he has served on the Board of Trustees of the Merrick Academy-Queens Public Charter School in Jamaica, Queens. For the past 11 years that Smith has been in office, he has been an outspoken champion for economic growth throughout the State, equal opportunity and government reform. In his first year as Democratic leader, Smith and his colleagues held hearings throughout the State to draw attention to the need for increased diversity in the State’s judiciary. In 2007, Senator Smith helped to launch "Operation Protect Your Home," a series of proactive foreclosure prevention forums held across the state, from Buffalo to Long Island. These collaborative seminars attracted thousands of families and offered them information, counseling, and mitigation services, and ultimately helped over 1500 families renegotiate the terms of their mortgages with lending institutions to avoid foreclosure. Senator Smith also created and chaired the Tri-Level Legislative Task Force, which was formed in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting of Sean Bell in November 2006. In 2008, the Task Force released their findings in a compendium entitled, "A Report on Improving Public Confidence in Law Enforcement and our Criminal Justice System." The proposals and recommendations of the report were immediately introduced in the Legislature. Last June, legislation recommended by the Task Force was passed which established the Municipal Police Training Council in the State Division of Criminal Justice Services. In the spring of 2008, Senator Smith initiated a statewide program, Operation SNUG, to address the growing problem of gun violence in cities throughout the State with the participation of community and media leaders. SNUG activities continue in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and New York City. Senator Smith has consistently fought to protect and preserve the rights of children who have been the victims of sexual assault. To this end, he introduced a three bill package in 2008 to combat child sex abuse. Last year, Governor Paterson signed Senator Smith’s bill which created a new crime of facilitating a sexual performance by a child with a controlled substance. Smith has been a leader in the effort to bring economic activity to Upstate New York, creating a "One New York" campaign that has highlighted the critical importance of the Upstate economy to New York’s development and success.

Personal life

Smith is a member of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. He is married to Michele Lisby-Smith. They have two children, Julian and Amanda.

See also

• 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis

References

1. ^ [1]

External links

• New York State Senate: Malcolm A. Smith

New York State Senate
Preceded by Alton R. Waldon, Jr.	New York State Senate, 10th District 2000–2002	Succeeded by Ada Smith
Preceded by George Onorato	New York State Senate, 14th District 2003–present	Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by David Paterson	Minority Leader of the New York State Senate 2007 - 2008	Succeeded by Dean Skelos
Preceded by Dean Skelos	Majority Leader of the New York State Senate 2009	Succeeded by 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis[1]
Preceded by Dean Skelos Acting	Lieutenant Governor of New York Acting 2009	Succeeded by Pedro Espada, Jr. Acting
Preceded by Pedro Espada Jr.	Temporary President of the State Senate 2009 - 2010	Succeeded by Dean Skelos

Note

1. ^ Both Smith and Skelos claimed to be Majority Leader.

Persondata
Name	Smith, Malcolm
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 9, 1956
Place of birth	Queens, New York
Date of death
Place of death