WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Assemblyman Herman "Denny" Farrell, a powerhouse in the state Legislature who served for more than four decades, announced Tuesday that he was retiring from politics, according to a report.
Farrell, 85, representative for the 71st District — which covers parts of Inwood, Washington Heights and Harlem — told the New York Daily News that he was stepping down Sept. 5 for health reasons and due to the “demands of the job as chairman of the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.”
Farrell announced earlier this year that he was no longer running for re-election, but wouldn’t confirm then if he was retiring or campaigning for another office.
The assemblyman was the final remaining member of the “Harlem Clubhouse," which included former Congressman Charles Rangel, former Mayor David Dinkins, former civil-rights activist Percy Sutton and Basil A. Paterson, the father of former Gov. David Paterson, according to several reports.
Farrell did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
His replacement will be determined during the November general election, the state Board of Elections said. Rather than participating in a primary election, the candidates on the ballot "will be chosen by the local party leaders within the district," according to the board.
A spokesman for Farrell's chief of staff, Al Taylor, said Taylor “is ready to run to be the district’s next representative.”
Other candidates vying for the seat are Juan Ignacio Rosa, former staffer for Robert Jackson and current president of the Barack Obama Democratic Club of Upper Manhattan, and Kyle Ishmael, lawyer and executive director of the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.
