Rockland, Westchester County Executives Call for Reform after Arrest of Top New York Lawmaker on Corruption Charges

Local officials reacted quickly to news of the arrest of Sheldon Silver, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly, on corruption charges.

According to the complaint filed in federal court by U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of New York, “Silver used the power and influence of his official position to obtain for himself millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks masked as legitimate income earned by Silver as a private lawyer.”

Silver is paid the assembly base salary of $79,500 plus $41,500 for the Speaker position, plus a per diem, a car and driver, and travel reimbursement.

Investigators targeted Silver’s outside income from law firms, specifically in the fields of real estate and health care, according to the complaint.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, who ran for governor last year, said Silver’s arrest needs to be a launching point for sweeping change in the state capital.

“The legislature ranked ‘Most Corrupt in America’ [by the University of Illinois] has needed top-to-bottom reform for years, and in this we have a solid start,” Astorino said. “It’s unfortunate that it is taking a U.S. Attorney to force accountability on a legislature that should be able to police itself. I commend the handful of brave legislators who have joined me over the past two years in calling for Mr. Silver to resign as Assembly Speaker. I expect that others will join that call in the coming hours.”

Astorino and Rockland County Executive Ed Day said the arrest was a reminder specifically of the need for term limits in Albany.

“Ensuring that our elected officials uphold the people’s trust is one of our most critical responsibilities,” Day said. “Public service must not be a shortcut to self-enrichment. I commend U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara and his team on their dedication to aggressively prosecuting alleged corruption at every level. It’s a sad day when criminal charges are brought against any elected official.”

Astorino said the arrest raised, again, questions about the controversial shutdown of the Moreland Commission, which was investigating corruption in Albany.

“Specifically, it begs the question of whether Mr. Silver’s alleged illegalities were known to the Commission when it was shuttered. If they were, and if that information was not properly referred to law enforcement authorities, this case will grow,” Astorino predicted.

PHOTO: NY Assembly website

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