Carl Heastie: The Man Who Would Oversee Cuomoâs Impeachment The Democratic Assembly speaker, most comfortable behind the scenes, now finds himself in the spotlight, facing the possibility of taking down a governor from his own party. Carl E. Heastie, the speaker of the New York State Assembly, has long been most comfortable as a behind-the-scenes operator.Credit...Cindy Schultz for The New York Times Aug. 4, 2021Updated 1:46 p.m. ET President Bidenâs call for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to resign after a state investigation found he had sexually harassed 11 women sparked a flurry of breaking news alerts on Tuesday.