Top GOPer’s alcohol woe
Flanagan says he sought treatment
ALBANY — The leader of the state Senate revealed Sunday that he has sought treatment for alcohol dependency.
Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk County), in a late afternoon statement, said he recently realized that alcohol had become a “crutch” to help him cope with the pressure of leading the Senate and sought help to deal with the issue.
“I took this step to ensure this dependency would not affect my ability to do my job or represent my constituents or the members of our Senate Republican majority,” Flanagan said.
The statement did not specify what type of treatment Flanagan received or would receive, and a rep for the Senate GOP could not provide further information.
“This is a step I needed to take for myself and for my family, and it will allow me to continue to serve and to give back to my community and state,” Flanagan said. “Being a public servant and following in the footsteps of my father has been the greatest honor of my life, and I know that I have much more to accomplish and much more still to do.”
Gov. Cuomo praised Flanagan for speaking out.
“Alcoholism is a disease,” Cuomo said on Twitter. “@LeaderFlanagan deserves our respect & support for seeking help & for talking about it as an example for others.”
Flanagan, 56, became leader of the state Senate in 2015 — and the most powerful Republican in New York — after then-Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau County) stepped down because of federal corruption charges. Flanagan was first elected to the state Legislature in 1986, succeeding his father, John Flanagan Sr., as a state assemblyman.
A Senate GOP source said Flanagan has no plans to step down as majority leader.
In his statement, Flanagan said he hoped his going public about his battles with alcohol will serve as a reminder that it “never has been and never will be” a means to deal with stress.
“If you find yourself becoming dependent, you not only have a responsibility to your family and colleagues to recognize it, but to proactively engage the programs that are in place that will help you,” he said. “No one is immune. Seek help and regain your personal pathway through life.”