Dems pick deputy leaders
Ethier, Lekakis tapped for posts
ALBANY, N.Y. » Democratic Majority Leader Dennis A. Feeney on Tuesday appointed Gil Ethier, the longest serving member of the Albany County Legislature, and Lynne Lekakis, a firstterm member, to serve as deputy majority leaders.
Feeney’s selections create a new leadership team for Democrats in t he legislature. Feeney is an attorney from Guilderland who replaced Legislator Gary W. Domalewicz as Majority Leader last week. Deputy Majority Leader Gil Ethier of Cohoes joined the legislature in 1980. Deputy Majority Leader Lynne Lekakis of Albany joined the legislature in 2016.
“I chose Legislators Gil Ethier and Lynne Lekakis as deputies because I believe they will help me unify the Democratic Caucus,” Majority Leader Feeney said Tuesday. “It’s time to come together as Albany County Democrats and deliver strong and steady leadership. Gil brings tons of experience. Lynne has new ideas. It’s a nice mix.”
Ethier previously served as deputy majority leader from 2016 until January. He received a Distinguished Service Award in February from Chairman Andrew Joyce for his 38 years as a legislator. Ethier represents Legislative District 18, which includes Cohoes and a part of the town of Colonie.
Ethier has served on virtually every legislative committee, and for several years as chairman of the Public Safety and Public Works committees. He is now cochair of the Elder Care Committee, and a member of the Conservation & Improvement and Mass Transit committees. He’s been chairman of the Cohoes Democratic Committee since 2002.
“I want to thank the majority leader for the vote of confidence to fix the caucus,” Ethier said. “I want a caucus where input comes from membership and their constituents, not leadership. That will make a strong caucus.”
Gil is co-chair of the Legislative Rules Reform Task Force, which is charged with updating the body’s rules of order. Over the last few months, he has been working to reform the legislature with Lekakis, who is co- chair of the Legislative Modernization Task Force.
Lekakis represents the residents of the Legislative District 8 in Albany. She is vice- chair of the Personnel Committee, and a member of the Health, Conservation & Improvement and Mass Transit committees.
In October, Lekakis introduced an equity-pay law that prohibits employers in Albany County from
from inquiring about a job applicant’s salary history before offering them employment. It passed unanimously, making Albany County among the first municipalities in the state to enact such a law. Gov. Andrew Cuomo later pro- posed a law to ban private and public employers from asking applicants about their salary history.
Lekakis is a partner in the consulting firm of Kane & Lekakis. Shes serves as facilities coordinator at Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood. She completed four terms as a board president of the Honest Weight Food Co-op, leading the specialty gro- cery store through several governance changes and in its move to a new location.
“Changing and modernizing the legislature is challenging, but I feel that I can help the process,” she said. “I think Democrats in the legislature are eager to move forward together. I look forward to making a difference and healing whatever divisions remain.”