Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NY Assembly investigates Republican member-elect over residency questions
By
David Cruz
Published Dec 1, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Left: Hans Pennink/AP/Shutterstock; Right: Facebook/LesterCforNY
By
David Cruz
Published Dec 1, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The state Assembly has launched a probe to determine whether a Republican member-elect fulfilled a legally mandated residency requirement to run for a Brooklyn district seat.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie said Thursday he’s directed the body’s judiciary committee to determine whether Assemblymember-elect Lester Chang lived in Brooklyn for at least a year. Chang won the seat for the 49th District, covering Dyker Heights and Bensonhurst, in the November election, defeating longtime Democratic incumbent Peter Abbate Jr.
The investigation — which could shake up representation for the district's 136,000 residents — marks a rare instance in which a member-elect’s residency has been officially investigated by the body. In a statement, Heastie said the probe was based on questions he called “credible.”
“We have an obligation to ensure that all members adhere to these constitutional residency requirements,” Heastie wrote in a statement, adding that the work must be completed by the end of the month.
If Chang, who previously ran for a Manhattan Assembly seat, can’t show proof he has lived in the borough for at least a year, then the Assembly might not seat him next month when the state Legislature convenes in its next session. Gov. Kathy Hochul would then be required to call a special election.
The probe can also trigger a lack of representation for the district for several weeks should Chang be removed.
Chang did not return a request for comment.
By state law, a person seeking to run for a state legislative seat must live in the district they seek to represent for at least a year. But the rules were more lenient this year because of the redistricting process, allowing candidates to simply live in the borough that includes the district they seek to represent.
According to NY1, questions on Chang’s residency first surfaced in September when the Asian Wave Alliance political club asked about his residency but were never shown proof. Abbate told the station Chang was registered to vote in Manhattan during the November 2021 election.
This story has been updated.
Tagged
investigation
new york state
assembly
brooklyn
new york
carl heastie
Politics
news
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Badly burned body found in a trashed and abandoned Jamaica Queens lot, NYPD says
The remains belonged to a man officials have yet to identify.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 7:39 a.m. ET
Brooklyn DA brings back warrant-clearing event as quality-of-life tickets surge
The district attorney will host a warrant and ticket clearance event after the NYPD cracked down on quality-of-life infractions.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
Brooklyn DA brings back warrant-clearing event as quality-of-life tickets surge
The district attorney will host a warrant and ticket clearance event after the NYPD cracked down on quality-of-life infractions.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Hochul names NY AG James as special prosecutor on alleged rape case at Cornell University
By
Jon Campbell
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
By
Giulia Heyward
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
By
Arya Sundaram
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .