Sheldon Silver: Ban hush money for sex-harass complaints

ALBANY — Better late than never!

In a last-ditch effort to hold on to power, embattled Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday proposed sweeping changes to the way the Assembly handles sexual-harassment complaints — banning the same type of secret settlements he approved 16 months ago for two victims of pervy ex-Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

With a gaggle of willing Democratic Assembly members falling in line behind him at a Capitol press conference, Silver also announced plans to create an independent investigator to look into all sexual-harassment complaints reported to the Assembly.

The overhaul calls for mandatory reporting of any sex-harass complaint — written or spoken.

The proposals, which coincided with Lopez’s resignation after 28 years in the Assembly, come as Silver’s 19-year grip on Assembly power is slipping. In recent days, calls from women’s groups and editorial boards for him to resign his leadership post have intensified.

They came in response to the release last week of a scathing 70-page report by a state ethics board that graphically outlined Lopez’s harassment, which including groping female staffers.

The report concluded that Silver, in effect, helped cover up Lopez’s actions by signing off on a $102,080 confidential settlement and failing to report the complaints to the Assembly Ethics Committee.

And Staten Island DA Dan Donovan, the special prosecutor who conducted a criminal probe of the matter, issued his own withering statement that found Silver’s actions enabled Lopez to abuse more female staffers.

“The mistakes we made were ones of judgment and not borne out of any desire to shield Vito Lopez,” Silver, 69, insisted.

“The actions I am announcing today are designed to make sure going forward this never happens again.”

Silver hopes to pass the sexual-harassment reforms by the end of the session on June 20.

Silver added, “I never gave any thought to resigning.”

Earlier in the day, an upstate assemblyman quit the Democratic Assembly Conference in disgust over Silver’s refusal to step down — saying the speaker’s actions were too little, too late.

Michael Kearns, a West Seneca Democrat who refused to back Silver’s leadership, said he wants to start an independent conference.

“The Democratic Party that I believe in stands up to powerful interests, it does not cover up for them. The Democratic Party that I believe in protects the powerless,” Kearns said.

Silver’s power became clear as many members of his the Democratic Assembly conference declined to comment about whether they thought Silver should step down.

Yesterday marked the first time Silver has publicly answered questions about the report.

It also marked the first time since 1985 that Vito Lopez, who resigned in disgrace effective yesterday, didn’t have a seat on the Assembly floor. His name plaque was removed promptly at 9 a.m.

Meanwhile Gov. Cuomo finally said he didn’t think what the speaker did was bad enough to warrant the loss of his 19-year leadership perch.

“People say they think the Speaker should resign for the way he handled it and I said I don’t,” Cuomo said moments after touting his “W omen’s Equality Agenda” “I disagree.”
     

NY POST