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I’ve been covering New York government and politics since David Paterson occupied the Capitol’s second floor. Still, in 2024, this beat continued to challenge and surprise me. Even familiar topics brought new twists.
I’ve written a lot about ethical conflicts of interest in Albany, but I’d never really written a story about a lawmaker’s romantic relationship. That changed in March, when I reported that Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie was dating a woman who extensively lobbied his chamber.
I don’t usually consider politicians’ personal lives to be matters of public interest, and this story required consideration about where exactly this line lies. Since then, there have been follow-up articles, including about Heastie placing an angry phone call to a state interest group after the organization decided to lay off his significant other.
Though not purposeful, I ended up having a busy year publishing articles that touched on Heastie. That included breaking
the story of a state ethics commission investigation examining luxury
football tickets scored by Heastie, Governor Kathy Hochul, family, and
friends; and, along with my colleague Sam Mellins, an investigation into the Bronx Democratic Party, a group that Heastie once chaired and still has close ties to.
I jumped into an extremely interesting story, already being reported by Mellins and Akash Mehta, concerning
the “Senate Working Rules” group. The group’s lack of transparency
necessitated undertaking some memorable reporting tasks, including
finding, staking out, and getting locked out of one of the group’s secret meetings.
Other stories tread less familiar terrain for me, including an early-year project
on how the Greater New York Hospital Association made $1 billion,
transforming itself into Albany’s most powerful interest group. This
story required a crash-course in “group purchasing organizations.” When
2024 began, I never dreamed I’d end up reading an entire book about
these types of obscure health care companies.
Continuing to learn is what keeps this beat fresh. Over the
past few months, I’ve been consumed with another story — this one about
New York’s court system — featuring another big learning curve.
Some time after the ball drops in Times Square, expect this one to drop, too.
What else should I look into in 2025? Let me know: cbragg@nysfocus.com.