Area State Legislators React to Silver Indictment

Last Wednesday, New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was on stage and earning praise from Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the unveiling of Cuomo’s 2015 Opportunity Agenda.

The following day, Silver was handcuffed and in the custody of federal authorities, arrested amid corruption charges just as the Assembly’s legislative session and budget negotiations were set to get underway.

Silver, a Manhattan Democrat, was accused of receiving more than $4 million in kickbacks in exchange for using his political power to influence real estate developers to use his law firm, part of a five-count indictment.

The longtime lawmaker and political power player was released on $200,000 bail, surrounded by throngs of reporters as he left the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan following his arraignment.

Reaction to Silver’s travails from some of Westchester’s state legislators was predictable, with fellow Democrats urging caution and to let due process run its course before reaching conclusions. Meanwhile, one Republican, similar to many of his party brethren who have chafed at Silver’s two-decade rule in the Assembly, immediately called for his resignation.

Published reports Sunday night indicated that Silver is likely to temporarily step down as speaker pending the outcome of his case.

In a phone conversation on Monday with Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-Scarsdale) the Examiner was informed that Democratic members of the Assembly had formed a Suburban Caucus. “This is comprised of about 23 members from the Hudson Valley, Nassau and Suffolk counties, Paulin explained. “We decided we wanted a seat at the table.”

The formation of the caucus dissolves any possibility of a five-member team to work with a temporary speaker that was proposed Sunday night.

“We agree that Silver should step aside temporarily to allow for the furthering of the Assembly and the Institution,” Paulin said.

In a Tuesday statement Assemblyman David Buchwald (D-White Plains) said he rejects any proposal that leaves Sheldon Silver as Speaker of the New York State Assembly.  “In light of the serious charges made against the Speaker and his refusal to provide any substantive response to those charges, I believe it would be in the best interest of the people of New York for Speaker Silver to step down from his leadership position in the State Assembly. It is imperative that we immediately restore public confidence in this institution. Maintaining public ethics in government is a principle that we should never compromise, and I am confident that the citizens of Westchester County and New York State agree,” Buchwald said.

Republican Steve Katz (R-Yorktown), one of Silver’s harsh GOP critics, called for him to resign from office last Thursday afternoon. Katz didn’t mince words, proclaiming, “The emperor has no clothes. Good riddance to a filthy, corrupt, sleazy politician who should have been gone years ago.”

“This man has been corrupt for the last 20 years,” Katz also said of Silver, who referred to him as a “crumb” at one point during an interview.

While Katz strongly pushed for Silver to leave office, Assembly Democrats stressed patience for the embattled speaker. Assemblywoman Sandy Galef (D-Ossining) said she was still digesting the facts when reached last Thursday.

“We do live in a country where you are innocent until you’ve been proven guilty,” Galef said.

The longtime legislator said she thinks the Assembly can continue to function despite the charges leveled against Silver, noting “we have a lot of great leaders up here in the Assembly.”

“And the speaker didn’t do everything, believe it or not,” Galef stressed.

Assemblyman Thomas Abinanti (D-Pleasantville) said that it is important for Silver to remain in office as the legislature is about to enter the critical state budget review period. While the legislative process wouldn’t grind to a halt without him, Silver is such an experienced negotiator, he would be missed.
“Even with that indictment, he is far more qualified to be the leader of the Assembly than many of his colleagues,” Abinanti said.

Abinanti also said the public should be careful not to judge Silver too quickly, particularly with the history of overzealous prosecutors providing headline-making splashes of arresting Albany leadership only to see them walk free. In the past 25 years, three legislative leaders–former Speaker Mel Miller, ex-Senate Minority Leader Manfred Ohrenstein, both Democrats, and Joseph Bruno, the former Republican Senate Majority Leader–were brought up on charges but were all eventually acquitted or cleared of wrongdoing, he said.

“History has shown there have been those who have made a name for themselves attacking leadership,” Abinanti said.

State Sen. George Latimer (D-Rye), who served for eight years in the Assembly under Silver until elected to the Senate in 2012, said he doesn’t think the Assembly’s day-to-day work will be affected by Silver’s indictment, since there are multiple lawmakers in both houses who are key figures in the budget process.

“Sitting in the Senate, it’s impossible for me to know how the Assembly members will deal with the matter, but we in the Senate should just focus on our own responsibilities,” Latimer said.

Senate Democratic Minority Leader Andrew Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) shared Latimer’s sentiments, adding that the Silver affair was distracting from the important work that has to be done.

“Perhaps if we had been able to do a sufficient job of policing ourselves, then things might be different,” she said, noting that the Moreland Commission was shut down because of the passing of ethics reform.” Still, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty, Stewart-Cousins added.

Meanwhile, Katz argued that any Assembly member who isn’t calling for Silver to step aside should be ashamed of themselves. Katz wants to see Silver out as soon as possible and believes he won’t go out without “kicking and screaming.”

“This is a man whose sole desire is to go down in history as the longest standing Assembly leader,” Katz said. “It doesn’t matter what the atmosphere, the poisonous, toxic, corrupt atmosphere that he has engendered, he has encouraged.”

David Propper, Martin Wilbur and Pat Casey contributed to this article.