Inez Dickens

American politician

Inez Dickens

Deputy Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly
Member of the New York State Assembly
from the 70th district
In office
January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2025
Preceded by| Keith L. T. Wright
Succeeded by| Jordan 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 an American politician. She served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 2017-2025, representing the 70th district in Manhattan. She also served as a member of the New York City Council from 2006 to 2016, representing the 9th district.

## Life and career

[edit]

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.[1] 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.[2]

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.[3] 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,[4] earning her a spot on the Public Advocate's "Worst Landlord's Watch List."[5] She had previously voted to improve "slumlord accountability."[6]

## New York Assembly

[edit]

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.[7] While Wright had the opportunity to again run for his Assembly seat, he had promised not to, and instead retired to the private sector.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10][11] 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.[12][13][14] Nonprofit organizations (501c3 organizations) except 501c4 organizations are not allowed to take part in campaign activity.[11] The contact person for the event was a staffer working in the office of one of the other three legislators.[10]

Dickens was the wealthiest member of the Assembly in 2014, with an estimated net worth of $2.1 million. She is the owner of 201 West 139th street estimated value $50 million. [15]

Dickens was appointed to leadership of the New York State Assembly to Deputy Majority Whip in 2023 [16] 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 [17][18]

Deputy Majority Whip Dickens retired from the New York State Assembly at the end of her term on December 31st, 2024 [19]

## Election history

[edit]

New York City Council: District 9  Election  |  | Candidate  | Party  | Votes  | Pct  |  | Candidate  | Party  | Votes  | Pct  |  | Candidate  | Party  | Votes  | Pct  |  | Candidate  | Party  | Votes  | Pct

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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

[edit]

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

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Boyd, Herb (February 9, 2017). "Inez Dickens sworn in as Assembly member". Amsterdam News. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
2. ^ "Official Bio - Inez Dickens". Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
3. ^ Russ, Buettner (August 11, 2010). "Faltering Harlem Housing Deal Won City Cash". NY Times. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
4. ^ "Defiant Harlem pol owes $265G in rat-trap fines, bills and taxes". NY Post. July 23, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
5. ^ "$cofflaw city pol is the law". NY Post. July 30, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
6. ^ "Ain't that the Dickens!". NY Post. August 2, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
7. ^ "Keith Wright Weighs Options Amid Uptown Power Shifts". Retrieved January 4, 2017.
8. ^ "Keith Wright supports Inez Dickens to get her city council seat". July 17, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
9. ^ "Councilwoman Inez Dickens Wins Assembly Seat to Represent Harlem in Albany - Central Harlem - DNAinfo New York". Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
10. ^ a b Campanile, Carl (February 19, 2018). "'Grassroots' nonprofit group has ties to powerful politicians".
11. ^ a b Magazine, Harlem World (February 19, 2018). "Harlem 'Grassroots' Nonprofit Has Ties To Powerful Politicians Reports NY Post". Harlem World Magazine.
12. ^ "'Grassroots' nonprofit group has ties to powerful politicians". New York Post. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
13. ^ "Harlem 'Grassroots' Nonprofit Has Ties To Powerful Politicians Reports NY Post". Harlem World Magazine. February 19, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
14. ^ "Harlem Non-Profit Accused Of Secretly Working For Local Politicians". NYC Inquirer. February 20, 2018. Archived from the original on February 21, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
15. ^ "In Bloomberg's Shadow: New York City's Wealthiest Elected Officials". The Observer. December 10, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
16. ^ "Assembly Leadership | New York State Assembly".
17. ^ "We're Proud to Share That NYC Will Remain Our Home, with Historic Plans for Our Future Move to Harlem! | National Urban League". nul.org. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
18. ^ "Governor Cuomo Announces Groundbreaking for $242 Million National Urban League Headquarters in Harlem". Homes and Community Renewal. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
19. ^ "Longtime Harlem lawmaker Inez Dickens to retire as candidates angle to replace her". New York Daily News. January 22, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* 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

* v
* t
* e

Members of the New York State Assembly

205th New York Legislature (2023–2024)

Speaker of the Assembly
Carl Heastie (D)
Speaker pro tempore
Pamela Hunter (D)
Majority Leader
Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D)
Minority Leader
William A. Barclay (R)

1. ▌T. John Schiavoni (D)
2. ▌Jodi Giglio (R)
3. ▌Joe DeStefano (R)
4. ▌Rebecca Kassay (D)
5. ▌Douglas M. Smith (R)
6. ▌Philip Ramos (D)
7. ▌Jarett Gandolfo (R)
8. ▌Michael J. Fitzpatrick (R)
9. ▌Michael Durso (R)
10. ▌Steve Stern (D)
11. ▌Kwani O'Pharrow (D)
12. ▌Keith P. Brown (R)
13. ▌Charles D. Lavine (D)
14. ▌David McDonough (R)
15. ▌Jake Blumencranz (R)
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18. ▌Noah Burroughs (D)
19. ▌Ed Ra (R)
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23. ▌Stacey Pheffer Amato (D)
24. ▌David Weprin (D)
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27. ▌Sam Berger (D)
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29. ▌Alicia Hyndman (D)
30. ▌Steven Raga (D)
31. ▌Khaleel Anderson (D)
32. ▌Vivian E. Cook (D)
33. ▌Clyde Vanel (D)
34. ▌Jessica González-Rojas (D)
35. ▌Larinda Hooks (D)
36. ▌Zohran Mamdani (D)
37. ▌Claire Valdez (D)
38. ▌Jenifer Rajkumar (D)
39. ▌Catalina Cruz (D)
40. ▌Ron Kim (D)
41. ▌Kalman Yeger (D)
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56. ▌Stefani Zinerman (D)
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58. ▌Monique Chandler-Waterman (D)
59. ▌Jaime Williams (D)
60. ▌Nikki Lucas (D)
61. ▌Charles Fall (D)
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63. ▌Sam Pirozzolo (R)
64. ▌Michael Tannousis (R)
65. ▌Grace Lee (D)
66. ▌Deborah J. Glick (D)
67. ▌Linda Rosenthal (D)
68. ▌Eddie Gibbs (D)
69. ▌Micah Lasher (D)
70. ▌Jordan Wright (D)
71. ▌Al Taylor (D)
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89. ▌J. Gary Pretlow (D)
90. ▌Nader Sayegh (D)
91. ▌Steven Otis (D)
92. ▌MaryJane Shimsky (D)
93. ▌Chris Burdick (D)
94. ▌Matt Slater (R)
95. ▌Dana Levenberg (D)
96. ▌Patrick Carroll (D)
97. ▌Aron Wieder (D)
98. ▌Karl A. Brabenec (R)
99. ▌Chris Eachus (D)
100. ▌Paula Kay (D)
101. ▌Brian Maher (R)
102. ▌Christopher Tague (R)
103. ▌Sarahana Shrestha (D)
104. ▌Jonathan Jacobson (D)
105. ▌Anil Beephan Jr. (R)
106. ▌Didi Barrett (D)
107. ▌Scott Bendett (R)
108. ▌John T. McDonald III (D)
109. ▌Gabriella Romero (D)
110. ▌Phil Steck (D)
111. ▌Angelo Santabarbara (D)
112. ▌Mary Beth Walsh (R)
113. ▌Carrie Woerner (D)
114. ▌Matthew Simpson (R)
115. ▌Billy Jones (D)
116. ▌Scott Gray (R)
117. ▌Ken Blankenbush (R)
118. ▌Robert Smullen (R)
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121. ▌Joe Angelino (R)
122. ▌Brian Miller (R)
123. ▌Donna Lupardo (D)
124. ▌Christopher S. Friend (R)
125. ▌Anna Kelles (D)
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128. ▌Pamela Hunter (D)
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130. ▌Brian Manktelow (R)
131. ▌Jeff Gallahan (R)
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133. ▌Andrea Bailey (R)
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135. ▌Jennifer Lunsford (D)
136. ▌Sarah Clark (D)
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139. ▌Stephen Hawley (R)
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143. ▌Patrick Chludzinski (R)
144. ▌Paul Bologna (R)
145. ▌Angelo Morinello (R)
146. ▌Karen McMahon (D)
147. ▌David DiPietro (R)
148. ▌Joe Sempolinski (R)
149. ▌Jonathan Rivera (D)
150. ▌Andrew Molitor (R)

Majority caucus (103)
▌Democratic (103)
Minority caucus (47)
▌Republican (47)

* New York State Legislature
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