Different Ideas On Ethics Reform In Albany

Governor Paterson proposed a reform of the state's ethics commission. While State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, not to mention a number of watchdog groups, backs Paterson's plan for a single commission, combining the executive branch's and legislative branch's commissions, the third man in the room, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, "expressed unease" about Paterson's plan in an interview with the NY Times, which points out, "Mr. Silver, speaker for the last 15 years, is seen by many as a guardian of the state’s traditionally insular approach to government." The Daily News describes Silver's own ethics plan proposal as one that "keeps lawmakers in charge of enforcing their own conduct" with "several committees doing the policing." Related: Smith also said that lawmakers should disclose their income, adding, "I think leadership should not have a second income. I think anybody in leadership, I would rather see just devote their full time to the job," which might be a poke at Silver, who has never disclosed what he makes at law firm Weitz & Luxenberg.