ALBANY – Embattled State Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver is going to be stepping down. His resignation,
decided Tuesday evening, came after two days of closed door conferencing
among majority Assembly members.
Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D-Kingston) said the decision to resign his
leadership post “is in the best interest of advancing the values
and progress and the needs of working New Yorkers.”
Cahill said the Assembly majority conference will nominate a candidate
to replace Silver in the next several weeks.
Silver was arrested last week by federal authorities on corruption charges
for allegedly accepting millions of dollars in kickbacks.
“Personal relationships and political alliances should take a back
seat going forward as my colleagues and I selected the leader who will
assure that our priorities become the driving force in our upcoming budget
and the remainder of the session,” Cahill said. “Of course,
we must also redouble our efforts to restore the faith the public deserves
to have in our institutions of government.”
Assemblyman James Skoufis (D-Woodbury) who called for Silver’s resignation
as speaker, said that “it is critical that, alongside new leadership,
we move on to the pressing issues facing the state and Hudson Valley,
including ethics reform, education, tax relief, and improvements to our
infrastructure.” That time to move on is now, Skoufis said.
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D-Forestburg) said while the process continues
to unfold, “I will continue to focus on the job I was elected to
do – represent my constituents with honesty and integrity.”
