Henry Butler Appointed Democratic Leader For Bk's 56th District

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Henry Butler, a lifelong Bed-Stuy resident with a long track record of public service in Brooklyn, was appointed as the state committee member (district leader) for the 56th assembly district on Monday by the Brooklyn Democratic Committee.

Butler, the president of the Vanguard Independent Democratic Association who has been serving as district manager for community board 3, fills the seat of recently resigned Robert E. Cornegy, Jr.

Butler had seeking the district leader position, which according to Butler's campaign, he had been endorsed by Cornegy for and was to be the former district leader's hand-picked successor.

“As we continue to navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis, now more than ever it's important that the residents of Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights-North have representation at every level,” Butler said in a statement issued Monday.

“I look forward to continuing to work with so many to address the needs and concerns of our community.”

Butler holds a degree in political science from Hunter College and began his career in public administration as assistant director of Lafayette Gardens Community Center under the New York City Housing Authority. Butler has served as a case worker for the Office of Child Support Enforcement. He was a member of Local 371 while employed by NYCHA and ACS. Butler went on to become a conductor for the New York City Transit Authority and spent 14 years working for MTA.

In 2006, he began serving as a member of CB3. Butler served a vice chair of the Police, Fire & Safety Committee and as financial secretary to the board. Prior to becoming the board’s district manager, he served as board chairperson from 2008 to 2013. In 2019, Butler received the Community Appreciation Award from Brooklyn Neighborhood Services and the Community Service Award from Sisters with Purpose Inc.

"I have the utmost confidence in Henry Butler as an active and effective District Leader because I have seen Henry in action firsthand,” 56th district Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright said in a news release on Monday. “Henry knows how to organize and rally people to effectuate positive change and will be a leading voice for inclusiveness, fairness, and equality within the Democratic Party.”