Silver – calls mount for him
to resign
ALBANY – State Assemblywoman Didi Barrett (D, Hudson) broke ranks with the majority of her fellow Democrats on Monday and called for Speaker Sheldon Silver to step down from that leadership position.
Silver was arrested last week on federal corruption charges. Over the weekend, he appointed five Assembly members to lead the house while he faces the charges against him.
Barrett wants him to go one step further and step down all together “so that this house may move forward with the work we were elected to do free from the ethical cloud currently hanging over our deliberations.” She also disputed Silver’s naming of a replacement.
“It is not acceptable to have an anointed successor. We should have an open and inclusive discussion about who is best suited to lead this body moving forward.”
Barrett said the charges against Silver “underline the critical need for more transparency and accountability from the elected officials charged with the public’s trust, as well as a need for meaningful ethics and campaign reform.”
