Legislators interview 41 Regents candidates |
On Board Online • March 2, 2015
By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer
State legislators heard from 41 candidates, including five incumbents, seeking appointment to the state Board of Regents during three marathon interview sessions at the Capitol in February.
Seven seats on the 17-member board are up for appointment, including those of Harry Phillips, who is retiring after representing the 9th Judicial District in the lower Hudson Valley for 15 years, and Geraldine Chapey, who resigned in June after representing the 11th Judicial District in Queens for 16 years. Ten candidates are vying for the Phillips seat, and two were interviewed for Chapey's seat, which has remained vacant since her resignation.
The incumbents seeking re-appointment are: James C. Dawson, a SUNY Plattsburgh geology professor who represents the sprawling 11-county 4th Judicial District; Robert M. Bennett of Erie County, who represents the 8th Judicial District and served as Regents Chancellor for seven years; Lester W. Young Jr. of Brooklyn, a retired educator and at-large member of the board; Roger Tilles, an attorney who represents the 10th Judicial District on Long Island; and Kathleen M. Cashin, a retired New York City teacher and administrator who represents the 2nd Judicial District in Brooklyn.
Cashin faces no competition for reappointment.
The challengers interviewed for Young's at-large seat included SUNY New Paltz political science professor and state government expert Gerald Benjamin, who lives in the 3rd Judicial District now represented by Josephine V. Finn.
Up to eight non-incumbents are seeking Young's at-large seat, including one who also interviewed for Dawson's. Five challengers, each, were interviewed for Dawson's, Tilles' and Bennett's seats.
The Legislature is required to act on Regents appointments in March, voting in a joint session. Because Democrats hold a substantial majority in the Assembly and the Legislature, as a whole, the process traditionally has been controlled by the Assembly Democrats.