New York Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb said Friday he will resign his leadership post with Republicans after he was charged with DWI on New Year’s Eve.

Kolb, R-Canandaigua, said in a statement that he will seek professional help while continuing to serve his ninth term in the Assembly.

Kolb, 67, crashed a state-owned vehicle into a ditch in front of his home on Dec. 31, according to the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office. He was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and making an unsafe turn.

Yates County District Attorney Todd Casella has been asked to serve as a special prosecutor for Kolb’s court case.

Only one Assembly Republican had publicly called for Kolb to resign his leadership post. “That he hasn’t done so already is a disgrace,” Assemblyman Kieran Lalor of the Hudson Valley said in a tweet a day after Kolb’s arrest.

Other Assembly GOP leaders, including Assemblyman Will Barclay, R-Pulaski, said they would reserve judgment on Kolb until he addresses the conference at the start of the 2020 session on Jan. 8.

Here’s Kolb’s full statement:

As leader of the Assembly Minority Conference, I have always tried to put the needs and best interests of our conference ahead of my own. That is why I have decided to step down as Minority Leader.

I have a profound respect for each and every one of my colleagues, and sincerely admire their daily efforts on behalf of constituents and communities in every corner of the state. But I will not allow my own personal challenges to distract from the goals, message, and mission of the Assembly Minority conference. With a new year and new legislative session ahead, the work of our conference cannot be undermined or deterred in any way.

I will be forever grateful for the confidence my colleagues have placed in me for the past 10 years. But in my heart, I know that this is the right time for a new leader to step in and advance an agenda that benefits all New Yorkers.

The events of December 31 are ones I will always deeply regret. On a personal level, I have begun the process of seeking professional help in order to heal, learn, and fully address the challenges that I, along with my family, currently face.

Read more

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NYS Assembly minority leader Brian Kolb crashed in front of his home before DWI arrest

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