Office of Assemblyman Luis Seplveda

District Office: 1973 Westchester Ave, Bronx NY Phone: 718-931-8620

Albany Office: Room 432, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248 Phone:
518-455-5102

Assemblyman Seplveda Calls on

Speaker Sheldon Silver to Step Down
For Immediate Release: January 26, 2015

Contact: Thomas Musich, 518-455-5102

Albany, NY I understand that this is an incredibly difficult period for the Speaker
Silver and his family, and my thoughts and prayers are with the Silver family. We should
be grateful to Speaker Silver for his service as Speaker since 1994. He has accomplished
many great things, including securing Universal Pre-K for the state, ending the
Rockefeller drug laws, the passing of the SAFE Act, the passing of the DREAM Act, and
so much more.
With a strong belief in the presumption of innocence I believe that Speaker Silver
deserves his day in front of a jury before we pass judgment on his alleged actions.
However, as this body moves into budget negotiations, one of the most important parts of
the year, the criminal complaint filed against the Speaker has clearly become a distraction
and has taken the spotlight away from so many of the important issues we should be
debating. Issues like education, criminal justice reform, and infrastructure, among others,
have now taken a back seat due to the Speaker's unfortunate situation.
The focus of this body right now must be budget negotiations, an area where the Speaker
is an instrumental component. In light of these recent issues his position as a negotiator
has been greatly compromised. The Governors proposed budget will have an impact on
every New Yorker, and our job as legislators is to ensure that our communities are
represented in this budget. Our constituents are our first and most important duty.
There comes a time when an institution must come before any individual, and it is for
these reasons that I believe that Speaker Silver should step down as Speaker and allow
for this body to get to work on these issues without being distracted. Already since the
Speakers arrest the Assembly was forced to cancel Session on a day that we should have
been honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is likely that distractions like
this will continue throughout the legislative session period if Speaker Silver remains in
his leadership position.
It is my hope that my colleagues and I can elect a new Speaker and continue to work
together through this difficult time so that we can do what we were elected to do. Again,
my prayers go out to the Speaker and his Family.
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