Inez Dickens

Inez Dickens
Deputy Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly
Member of the New York State Assembly from the 70th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 1, 2017
Preceded by	Keith L. T. Wright
Majority Whip of the New York City Council
In office January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2013
Speaker	Christine Quinn
Member of the New York City Council from the 9th district
In office January 1, 2006 – December 31, 2016
Preceded by	Bill Perkins
Succeeded by	Bill Perkins
Personal details
Born	(1949-07-15) July 15, 1949 (age 75) New York, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Residence(s)	New York, New York, U.S.
Signature
Website	Official website

Inez E. Dickens (born July 15, 1949) is the Assemblymember for the 70th district of the New York State Assembly. She is a Democrat. The district includes portions of El Barrio, Hamilton Heights, Harlem, and Morningside Heights in Manhattan.^[1] She formerly served on the New York City Council from 2006 to 2016, representing the 9th district.

Life and career

Dickens is a lifelong resident of New York City. Her father, Lloyd E. Dickens, was a Democratic District Leader and a member of the New York Assembly, and her uncle Thomas K. Dickens was an assemblyman and a justice on the New York Supreme Court.^[2] She attended P.S. 133 and Julia Richman High School, and later did undergraduate studies in real estate and land economics at New York University and later at Howard University and later continued education for graduation in Chicago. Dickens was first elected to office in 1974 as a State Party Committeewoman, and served in that capacity for 32 years.^[3]

In the 2004 presidential election, she served as one of New York's 33 presidential electors, casting her ballot for John Kerry. After Bill Perkins opted to run for the New York State Senate in 2005, Dickens entered the primary for City Council to replace him, and won. She won re-election handily in 2009 and again in 2013.

Inez became the councilmember for the 9th New York City Council District in 2006, serving the communities of Central Harlem, Morningside Heights, East Harlem and parts of the Upper West Side. As a newly elected council member, Inez was appointed majority whip and chair of the Committee on Standards and Ethics.^[4] She became the first African-American woman in the history of the New York City Council to be appointed to the positions of deputy majority leader and chair of the Subcommittee on Planning, Dispositions and Concessions.

In August 2013, the New York Post wrote a series of articles detailing Inez Dicken's history as a landlord. As of July 2013, she had $265,000 in unpaid code violations dating as far back as 2004,^[5] earning her a spot on the Public Advocate's "Worst Landlord's Watch List."^[6] She had previously voted to improve "slumlord accountability."^[7]

New York Assembly

In 2016, Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright, who had served in the Assembly for over 25 years, announced he would run to succeed long-time Congressman Charlie Rangel. However, his campaign was unsuccessful, losing to state Senator Adriano Espaillat in a very close race.^[8] While Wright had the opportunity to again run for his Assembly seat, he had promised not to, and instead retired to the private sector.^[9]

As a result, Dickens, term-limited at the end of 2017 in the Council, was selected to run for the seat. She was unopposed in the primary, and won the general election against Republican Heather Tarrant by a 93% to 7% margin.^[10] Dickens was sworn into her first term in the Assembly on January 1, 2017. State Senator Bill Perkins, who held Dickens' council seat until 2005, was elected to replace her in 2017.

A "grassroots" non-profit organization, "New York 4 Harlem", solicited donations of $500 to $5,000 and was reported in 2018 to have been a front for Dickens and three other Harlem elected officials.^[11][12] In addition, a flyer organizing a free bus trip to Albany for a conference organized by the NY State Assn. of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators with the New York 4 Harlem's name on it featured a picture of Dickens and the three other officials.^[13][14][15] Nonprofit organizations (501c3 organizations) except 501c4 organizations are not allowed to take part in campaign activity.^[12] The contact person for the event was a staffer working in the office of one of the other three legislators.^[11]

Dickens was the wealthiest member of the Assembly in 2014, with an estimated net worth of $2.1 million.^[16]

Dickens was appointed to leadership of the New York State Assembly to Deputy Majority Whip in 2023 ^[17] Throughout her leadership and decades of knowledge and experience, Dickens has helped pave the way for the creation of a new 400,000-square-foot mixed-use complex on 125th St. set to include a civil rights museum and 170 affordable housing units ^[18][19]

Deputy Majority Whip Dickens is set to retire from the New York State Assembly at the end of her term on December 31st, 2024 ^[20]

Election history

New York City Council: District 9

Election		Candidate	Party	Votes	Pct		Candidate	Party	Votes	Pct		Candidate	Party	Votes	Pct		Candidate	Party	Votes	Pct
2005 Primary		Inez Dickens	Dem	4,608	28.52%		Yasmin Cornelius	Dem	3,351	20.74%		Cynthia Doty	Dem	2,803	17.35%		Others (4)	Dem	4,888	30.26%
2005 General		Inez Dickens	Dem	21,222	81.26%		Will Brown Jr.	Rep	2,207	8.45%		Daryl Bloodsaw	Ind	1,773	6.79%		W. Henderson	Vet	913	3.50%
2009 Primary		Inez Dickens	Dem	8,430	66.42%		Landon Dais	Dem	2,648	20.86%		Carlton Berkley	Dem	1,615	12.72%
2009 General		Inez Dickens	Dem	22,818	92.33%		Abbi Hoff	Rep	1,892	7.66%
2013 Primary		Inez Dickens	Dem	12,878	69.98%		Vince Morgan	Dem	5,525	30.02%
2013 General		Inez Dickens	Dem	23,454	99.06%

Further reading

• Paterson, David "Black, Blind, & In Charge: A Story of Visionary Leadership and Overcoming Adversity." New York, New York, 2020

References

1. "NYC District Maps | NYC Board of Elections". vote.nyc. Retrieved Feb 19, 2021.
2. Boyd, Herb (2017-02-09). "Inez Dickens sworn in as Assembly member". Amsterdam News. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
3. "Official Bio - Inez Dickens". Archived from the original on 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-03-18.
4. Russ, Buettner (11 August 2010). "Faltering Harlem Housing Deal Won City Cash". NY Times. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
5. "Defiant Harlem pol owes $265G in rat-trap fines, bills and taxes". NY Post. 2013-07-23. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
6. "$cofflaw city pol is the law". NY Post. 2013-07-30. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
7. "Ain't that the Dickens!". NY Post. 2013-08-02. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
8. "Keith Wright Weighs Options Amid Uptown Power Shifts". Retrieved 2017-01-04.
9. "Keith Wright supports Inez Dickens to get her city council seat". 17 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
10. "Councilwoman Inez Dickens Wins Assembly Seat to Represent Harlem in Albany - Central Harlem - DNAinfo New York". Archived from the original on 2017-01-05. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
11. Campanile, Carl (February 19, 2018). "'Grassroots' nonprofit group has ties to powerful politicians".
12. Magazine, Harlem World (February 19, 2018). "Harlem 'Grassroots' Nonprofit Has Ties To Powerful Politicians Reports NY Post".
13. "'Grassroots' nonprofit group has ties to powerful politicians". New York Post. 2018-02-19. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
14. "Harlem 'Grassroots' Nonprofit Has Ties To Powerful Politicians Reports NY Post". Harlem World Magazine. 2018-02-19. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
15. "Harlem Non-Profit Accused Of Secretly Working For Local Politicians". NYC Inquirer. 2018-02-20. Archived from the original on 2018-02-21. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
16. "In Bloomberg's Shadow: New York City's Wealthiest Elected Officials". The Observer. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
17. "Assembly Leadership | New York State Assembly".
18. nul.org https://nul.org/news/national-urban-league-empowerment-center. Retrieved 2024-03-11. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
19. "Governor Cuomo Announces Groundbreaking for $242 Million National Urban League Headquarters in Harlem". Homes and Community Renewal. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
20. "Longtime Harlem lawmaker Inez Dickens to retire as candidates angle to replace her". New York Daily News. 2024-01-22. Retrieved 2024-03-11.

External links

• Assemblymember Inez Dickens official website

Political offices
Preceded by Bill Perkins	New York City Council, 9th district 2006–2016	Succeeded by Bill Perkins (elect)
Preceded by Keith L.T. Wright	New York Assembly, 70th District 2017–present	Incumbent