Heastie gal’s boss resigns
Labor-lobbyist twist
The head of a labor group repped in Albany by the lobbyist recently revealed to be Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s gal pal abruptly stepped down this week, The Post has learned.
The sudden resignation of Dean Angelakos, from Greater New York Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), came days after the outlet NY Focus reported last week that the 56-year-old Dem has been in a romantic relationship with 32year-old Rebecca Lamorte.
Since then, Albany insiders have been abuzz over who could have leaked a letter Lamorte had presented to her higher ups seeking permission to continue lobbying the Assembly while dating the speaker.
Lamorte is LECET’s legislative and communications director and a regular presence in the state Capitol where she lobbies primarily on labor issues, according to public lobbying disclosures.
“Dean Angelakos offered his resignation as Executive Director of LECET, and we accepted it. We wish him the best,” the co-chairman of LECET’s board, Mike Hellstrom, wrote in a statement to the Post.
“Rebecca Lamorte will continue to be a member of our staff. She will remain our lobbyist in Albany,” he added.
Hellstrom did not go into details about why Angelakos resigned — nor the group’s arrangement with the speaker’s office to avoid conflicts of interest.
“Protocols are in place and being followed so that she can continue her work for us. People in public service can do their jobs ethically while keeping their personal lives private,” Hellstrom’s statement said.
‘Looks connected’
At least one Albany insider believes Angelakos’ departure could be tied to Lamorte and Heastie’s relationship being made public.
“It definitely looks connected to what’s happening with LECET’s lobbyists and the speaker’s office,” the source said.
Angelakos did not return requests for comment. Lamorte and Heastie’s office also did not respond to requests.
His name had quietly been stripped from LECET’s website in recent days. His LinkedIn account still lists him as executive director. It shows Angelakos started as LECET’s executive director in May 2022 after serving in executive leadership roles for several businesses over the last decade.
Heastie blasted reporters when asked about his new love affair earlier this week, saying his office put appropriate ethical safeguards in place to prevent his relationship from being a conflict of interest.
“I am never, again let me make that clear, addressing my personal life,” Heastie said.
The revelation about Heastie’s relationship comes as Albany lawmakers and Gov. Hochul are hashing out a state budget deal. LECET is one of the labor groups lobbying around a potentially major package to expand housing supply in the Empire State.
So far, lawmakers have shied away from calling for the speaker to excuse himself from the landmark housing talks due to his relationship with Lamorte.
“The speaker has addressed it and the speaker has said there’s protocols in place and I trust the speaker at his word,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea StewartCousins (D-Yonkers) told reporters Wednesday, adding that she doesn’t think the relationship should have an impact on the speaker’s participation in negotiations.