On Jan. 4 New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie announced the leadership positions and committee chairs for the 2023 legislative session. Locally, Columbia County Democrat Didi Barrett was the only representative receiving a chair, as she will head the Energy committee. Sarahana Shrestha, in Ulster County, was first elected to the Assembly this year, and the socialist Democrat was not appointed to lead a committee in her first term. Other local Assemblymembers are Republicans, and in the minority. The leadership positions went to Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes as Majority Leader, Helene E. Weinstein as the Chair of Ways and Means, Phil Ramos as Deputy Speaker, Vivian E. Cook as Assistant Speaker, and Jeffrion L. Aubry as Speaker Pro Tempore.