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Alan Hevesi, former NY state and city comptroller, dead at 83
By
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 9, 2023
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By
Jon Campbell
Published Nov 9, 2023
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Former New York state and city comptroller Alan Hevesi, a Queens Democrat whose decadeslong career in public office came to an abrupt halt amid scandal in 2006, died Thursday morning after a prolonged illness, according to his family.
Hevesi, 83, lived in Forest Hills and represented parts of Queens in the state Assembly from late 1971 through 1993, when he was elected city comptroller — a position that often put him at odds with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican. In 2001, he ran for mayor, finishing fourth in a Democratic primary.
In 2002, Hevesi was elected state comptroller and worked to bulk up the office’s auditing and investigatory muscle. He won re-election in 2006 but resigned before starting his second term, the result of a guilty plea to a felony charge for using state resources to chauffeur his long-ailing wife.
Later, Hevesi would spend more than a year in prison for his role in accepting nearly $1 million in gifts and perks in exchange for directing investments from the state pension fund — of which the comptroller is the sole trustee — to a private equity fund.
Hevesi’s family announced his death via a statement, which said he was “surrounded by his children and loved ones.” He and his late wife, Carol, had three children, including current state Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi — a Democrat who represents a version of the district his father once represented — and former state Sen. Daniel Hevesi.
“We will miss him and his laughter more than words can express,” the Hevesi family said in its statement.
Hevesi had Lewy body dementia, and had been in palliative care since September, according to David Neustadt, his former spokesperson.
A funeral service is scheduled for Sunday at the Schwartz Brothers-Jeffer Memorial Chapels in Forest Hills, according to his family.
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new york city
Albany
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Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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