Senate Dem conference promotes two staffers to top leadership positions

State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins has promoted two staffers to top leadership positions following the departure of Eric Katz, who served as counsel to the majority.

Replacing Katz as counsel is Dorothy Powell, who had previously served as deputy counsel. Stewart-Cousins also promoted Jonathan Lang, who had been deputy director of majority counsel and program, to a newly created position: secretary of majority counsel and program. “Jonathan Lang and Dorothy Powell have both been instrumental in our legislative successes over the past few years,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement. “Together, they will form a dynamic duo, propelling the Majority Conference and our priorities forward to best serve New Yorkers.”

Powell has worked for the state Senate Democrats for about eight years in various positions, while Lang has been with the conference for close to five years. With their new promotions, they join a leadership team that also includes Finance Secretary David Friedfel, Communications Director Mike Murphy, Director of Intergovernmental and External Affairs Leah Goldman and Director of Operations Jonathan Alveranga.

Stewart-Cousins announced Katz’s departure in her end-of-session speech in June. “I want to extend my deepest thanks to Eric Katz for his dedicated service to the State of New York and its residents during his time in the State Senate,” Stewart-Cousins said of Katz’s departure. “Eric’s leadership and legal acumen have been invaluable to our team, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.” 

This month, Katz announced that he would become general counsel for Metropolitan Park, the plan from Steve Cohen to build a casino outside of Citi Field in Queens. Politico New York was the first to report on his new job. Katz will have a two-year ban on lobbying the state Senate, where relevant state Sen. Jessica Ramos has declined to give Cohen the necessary support to build a casino. 

Katz had replaced Stewart-Cousins' longtime top aide Shontell Smith as counsel at the start of 2022. Smith, who served as both chief of staff and counsel to the majority before Katz took over the latter role, had served on the Democratic conference leadership team since 2014, when Stewart-Cousins took over the conference. Since Smith left government in 2022 for a job with Tusk Strategies, the chief of staff position has been vacant.