Brooklyn’s newly-elected Democratic Borough President Antonio Reynoso announced Monday he’s tapped controversial Assemblywoman Diana Richardson to be his deputy.
Richardson (D-Crown Heights) will vacate her post as an elected official in Albany to work on “addressing food insecurity, reducing gun violence, and supporting Brooklyn’s Community Boards and ensuring they are reflective of the communities they serve,” according to Reynoso’s office.
“Much like Borough President Reynoso, I have dedicated my life to serving the community that raised me here in Brooklyn, and I’m honored to be able to continue that service in Borough Hall,” Richardson said in a statement.
She represents the 43rd Assembly district, including Crown Heights, Flatbush and Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Richardson has sponsored 15 pieces of legislation signed into law since her election to office in 2015.
“From tackling food insecurity and gun violence in our communities to delivering historic tenant protections and criminal justice reform, Diana has been on the frontlines fighting for the kind of progressive policies that transform communities,” said Reynoso in a statement.
But the left-leaning Richardson has been known to tangle with members of the Brooklyn Democrat’s establishment faction.
She slammed the Brooklyn Democratic Party Chair Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte-Hermelyn earlier this fall, leading calls for her resignation following an intraparty spat between the county’s progressive members and Bichotte-Hermelyn loyalists.
Bichotte-Hermelyn congratulated Richardson through a spokeswoman on Monday.
“Rodneyse worked alongside Bill Lipton, then-president of WFP, in 2015 and endorsed, supported and fundraised for Richardson for her first run for the Assembly and even prior to that, was one of the first to support her in her race for District Leader,” said the rep.
“She congratulates Richardson on her appointment as deputy borough president and wishes her well in her future endeavors.”
Richardson’s Albany tenure has also been controversial.
She blew up on a Post reporter when probed last July about a joint-appearance she held with disgraced ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo after previously calling for his resignation amid allegations of sexual harassment.
“I’m here today with the governor because politics is politics, business is business,” she fumed.
“If you’re going to ask a question today, please remain on topic. We don’t want divisive questions.”
She also tangled with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie in 2018, going ballistic during a Democratic caucus weekend and accusing him and his staff of lying to her about a $660,000 allocation to a pet project for her district.
The speaker later reprimanded her in front of the entire conference, according to sources in the room.
Richardson’s also defended the corporal punishment of her son, after allegedly beating him with a broomstick in 2017.
One Assembly insider who requested anonymity quipped to The Post: “Oh, boy. Is Reynoso going to pay for this.”
“Some Assembly members will be very happy that she’s gone,” the official added.
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