Speaker Silver in Albany's Catbird Seat

State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has kept a relatively low profile over the past several months, as Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno battled with Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who would go on to self-destruct in a highly public style. With Mayor Bloomberg's beloved congestion pricing plan past the City Council hurdle and with the support of our new Gov. Paterson, it now lays stalled in the Assembly, where whatever Silver says pretty much goes.

A profile in the Daily News describes Silver as secretive and powerful, who is generous to his Lower East Side constituents with state money while also tending to his allies in the Assembly, and with thick enough skin that he is essentially impervious to public criticism of his methods. Mayor Bloomberg has found himself at Silver's mercy before. The Assembly Speaker managed to squeeze $800 million in development money while negotiating another of the Mayor's pet projects--the West Side Stadium. Silver extracted his pound of flesh and spiked the stadium plan anyway.

Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, by Casa da Darnoc at flickr

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By Dave Hogarty in News on April 6, 2008 5:05 PM

Comments [rss]

dr zippy

proof that the internet doesn't require an IQ test?

brooklyn and i

bloomberg wont to be the stemmroler of albany but after Christine Quinn and spitzer allrady steemrolld

time is comming to bloomberg to be steemrold for putting a new tax wit pork manipulations

the peeple of new york are aganst steemroller bloomberg

blablanyc

Paterson wasn't sure about supporting the congestion pricing plan until he met with Bloomberg. This was at the same time Blomberg and Quinn were bribing council members with earmarks for pet projects in their districts. I wonder what Bloomberg offered Paterson?

blablanyc

Silver saved the city from a lot of congestion by not supporting the stadium. And Silver will save the city from an excessive and unnecessary tax.

Think2wice

Time to secede from this feckless, obstructionist state.

Snoopy

Go ahead Sheldon "Jew them," it's in your blood.

Dave Hogarty

I doubt it. I think that phrase has transcended its Shakespearean origins, especially in politics. Nothing would surprise me though.

edgar

I think that you'll find "pound of flesh" to be an unfortunate choice of metaphor.

Not that I care, but you'll probably get ripped apart by Jewish posters.