Uncrowned Community Builders

Arthur O. Eve (Democrat-Buffalo) was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1966. During his first term in 1967, Assemblyman Eve spearheaded an effort that led to an initial $500,000 in funding to establish the SEEK/Educational Opportunity Program within the State University of New York System.
In 1968 Assemblyman Eve held up construction on the University of Buffalo Amherst Campus until the State and unions agreed to develop a program that would provide access for minorities into the construction industry. As a result, the Buffalo Hometown Plan and the Build Skills Assessment Center trained hundreds of minorities in the construction crafts.
During the 1971 Attica uprising, Assemblyman Eve spearheaded a committee of public officials who attempted to resolve the conflict between the prison guards and inmates.
In 1975 and 1976, Assemblyman Eve chaired the New York State Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus. During the 1979 Legislative Session, Assemblyman Eve was appointed Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. As Deputy Speaker, he is responsible for developing strategies with respect to the problems of declining urban centers and oversees State agencies to ensure that resources are used to the fullest extent with regard to dealing with the plight of the urban areas.
Deputy Speaker Eve's legislative record is one of extensive sponsorship and support representing a wide range of issues including economic development, education, job training and development, social services, crime prevention and parole reform, day care and housing. Eve is a member of the Committee on Aging, Senior Member of both the Committees on Rules and Ways and Means and sits on the Corporations Committee.
During the 1980's, Deputy Speaker Eve passed legislation such as: access to test information; numerous laws to require affirmative action on state-funded projects; funding of the African-American Institute of the State University of New York (SUNY); and passage of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill.
With regard to education, Deputy Speaker Eve initiated legislative projects which are designed to assist economically disadvantaged minority students reach their educational objectives. Included in these programs are the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP), the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Regents Professional Opportunity Scholarships and Health care Professional Opportunity Scholarships.
He has also enacted one of the most progressive bills in the country to establish nurse practitioners law in New York State. Also, his Community Service Act legislation for the elderly has generated millions of dollars throughout the state for increased services to senior citizens.
Deputy Speaker Eve, senior member from Western New York, is Dean of the Western New York Legislative Delegation. He has been in the forefront of increased voter registration and was the Assembly's prime sponsor of the Voter Registration-By Mail Act.
In 1986, he sponsored statewide hearings to focus attention on the minority dropout rate which resulted in the commissioning of the report, Dropping Out of School in New York State: The Invisible People of Color, which was prepared by the African American Institute. This was the first time that African-American, Latino, Native-American and Asian educators as well as community leaders came together to offer an analysis and solutions to this problem.
In 1993, he was the architect of the statewide Leadership Summit on the Behalf of Children of African Descent, sponsored by the Legislative Task Force on African-American Issues. Over 750 concerned citizens and youth trekked to Albany to discuss and analyze the plight of African-American children in New York State. Summit work groups focused on topics including education, health care, youth employment, criminal justice and substance abuse. This event is arguably the most successful summit in New York State history and is credited with securing $145 million for existing and new programs for youth in Governor Cuomo's proposed budget.
Deputy Speaker Eve has sponsored legislation to increase the state's jury pool, increase penalties for acts of violence motivated by race, color, religion, gender, disability or sexual orientation, increase the personal income tax (PIT) for New York State's wealthiest populations, restrict alcohol and tobacco advertisements near schools and playgrounds, increased tax on cigarettes, appropriate funding for day care services, alternatives to incarceration.
Deputy Speaker Eve's latest include secured funding for the revitalization of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, our state's oldest cancer treatment hospital, and developed the state's most comprehensive lead legislation that requires screening of pregnant women and children as well as requirements for lead treatment and abatement.
During his career of public service, many believe that Deputy Speaker Eve has done more to initiate opportunities for minorities and the economically disadvantaged in the field of educational opportunity, undergraduate and graduate education, medical degrees, pre-natal, day care and infant care than any other state legislator in the nation.
Deputy Speaker Eve is a graduate of West Virginia State University; a life member of the NAACP; founder and former Chairman of the Board of the Northern Region Black Political Caucus whose purpose is to promote political education and participation in the African-American community; and former Chairman of the New York State Chapter of the National Rainbow Coalition. He is the recipient of numerous awards and citations from an array of local, state and national organizations.
Eve lives in Buffalo, New York with his wife, the former Constance Bowles. They have five children: Arthur Jr., "CHAMP", father of six children; Leccia, Eric, and the twins: Malcolm and Martin.