Chamber Calls For Resignation Of Silver As Speaker

UTICA - The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce Board passed a resolution September 4, 2012, calling for the resignation of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as Speaker.

The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce has a long standing public policy of transparency in government.

The New York Times reported that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver authorized a secret payment of $103,080, of taxpayer money, to quietly settle sexual harassment claims against Assemblyman Vito Lopez, D-Brooklyn. The settlement was cloaked from public view by a confidentiality agreement and was an improper use of public funds.

The New York Times stated that a study this year by the University of Illinois Institute for Government and Public Affairs found that New York State leads the country in public corruption. The use of public funds for the benefit of one member of the legislature and especially to settle a claim based on improper behavior is one major reason why New York State possesses this corruption problem.

The Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce calls for the resignation of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as Speaker and a full restitution of the settlement.

By C. Harris-Lockwood