Sheldon Silver

Vito Lopez, Legislative Powerhouse, Serial Groper, to Resign; Ducks Expulsion Proceeding

Once-powerful Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez has agreed to step down from his longtime post as his support collapsed this week on the heels of the Staten Island District Attorney's damning report which disclosed the unethical lengths that the legislature's leadership went in trying to hush-up his s ... More >>

With Compromise In Sight, Gov. Cuomo Talks Gun Control In State Of The State Address

In recent weeks, we've been following the Governor's actions regarding gun control quite closely. After the Newtown tragedy, Cuomo proposed a handful of measures to hopefully curb gun-related violence; one of which would be the strictest magazine clip ban in the nation. However, the momentum hit a w ... More >>

Shelly Silver: I Acted In "Best Interest" Of Gropez Victims

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver maintains that he believes that he'll be cleared of any wrongdoing in the Vito Lopez sex debacle, during which the speaker signed off on more than $100,000 in taxpayer funded hush money to sweep allegations of sexual misconduct against Lopez under the rug.He ... More >>

Will The Next Mayoral Race Turn Into a Fight For Taxes On The Wealthy?

With the news that Wall Street profits are projected to hit $15 billion this year, it makes sense that the next Mayoral race in New York City will focus on the issue New York's mega-wealthy (and, if our 'Mitt Loves N.Y.' series was any indication, there are a ton of members in this exclusive income ... More >>

NOW Outlines Expectations In JCOPE's Probe Of Vito Lopez's Pervy-Ness -- And Silver's Coverup

Assemblyman Vito Lopez is a grade-A pervert. That much we know (for example, he would prefer you not wear a bra to work, ladies). But the lengths to which Assembly leaders -- most notably Lopez's former pal/current Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver -- went to coverup Lopez's multiple gropings of young ... More >>

Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver To Be Investigated For Vito Lopez Coverup

Apparently realizing that "it's always about the coverup," the Joint Commission On Public Ethics (JCOPE) announced last night that it's widening its probe of the sexual harassment allegations made against shamed Assemblyman Vito Lopez to include the more than $100,000 in taxpayer money Assembly Spea ... More >>

New York GOP Owes Assemblyman Vito "Gropez" Lopez A Thank You For His Alleged Pervy-ness

New York Republican Party Chairman Ed Cox has issued three statements in the past 24 hours -- which is three more than he's issued in the past two weeks -- each of which references shamed Democratic Assemblyman Vito Lopez's pervy-ness.In each statement, Cox seems outraged that Lopez allegedly is a d ... More >>

Brooklyn D.A. Requests Special Prosecutor To Investigate Assemblyman Vito Lopez's Pervy-ness

Things just went from incredibly bad to incredibly worse for shamed Assemblyman Vito Lopez.Not only has he been "disciplined" by Democratic Assembly leader Sheldon Silver, but he could potentially face criminal charges for several claims of alleged pervy-ness made against him by multiple female staf ... More >>

Assemblyman Vito Lopez's Pervy-ness Cost Taxpayers $103K -- Thanks To Shelly Silver

Remember last week when Assemblyman Vito Lopez was scolded by legislative leaders for essentially being a pervy, dirty old man who shoved his hands up the skirts of young, female staffers? Well, Lopez's pervy-ness is costing you money.Turns out, the two women who accused Lopez of various acts of sex ... More >>

Here's The Letter Shelly Silver Sent Assemblyman Vito Lopez Asking Him To Stop Being A Dirty Old Man

Democratic Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez apparently has a habit of shoving his hands up the skirts of young, female interns -- and it's costing him his leadership position in the Assembly.The Assembly's Standing Committee on Ethics and Guidance ruled that Lopez basically has achieved dirty old man ... More >>

The Horsies Go To Albany! Cuomo & Co. Reach Deal On NYRA Takeover

Those ponies are in need of some serious government red tape.The Voice reported yesterday on the legislative free-for-all going on in Albany right now, which includes the cyber-bullying law and the teacher evaluation publicity argument, as the session deadline on Thursday approaches. But the Go ... More >>

New York Assembly Passes Bill To Establish DREAM Fund For Undocumented Kids To Go To College

Good news, DREAMers: the New York State Assembly passed a bill yesterday that would create a privately funded scholarship to help undocumented kids go to college.If it becomes law, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Fund Commission would enable people to solicit privat ... More >>

Mega Millions Winners Sold In Illinois, Kansas and Maryland; Olbermann Fired, Replaced by Spitzer; State Budget Approved

You probably didn't win the $640 million Mega Millions jackpot -- the chance of winning was 1 in 176 million -- but the money will be divided up by at least three people. Lottery officials said winning tickets were sold in Illinois, Kansas and Maryland. In New York, 17 people will get a second-prize ... More >>

State Democrats Will Propose Minimum Wage Raise Today

Fast food workers and retail employees everywhere -- rejoice! Democrats in Albany, led by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, will today propose a raise in the New York state minimum wage, from $7.25 an hour to $8.50. The proposal will also include a provision mandating automatic increases in the futur ... More >>

Cathie Black Just Can't Catch a Break (Video)

​Cathie Black is the new Joe Biden. A birth control joke by the novice Schools Chancellor at a parent-school official meeting, followed in quick succession by a Sophie's Choice allusion, have pissed people off royally. Oh come on! The first one's funny, at least.

Stealing Immigrants' Wages in New York

Fleecing the immigrants is a big, safe business in New York

Carl Paladino's Hitler Card Has Now Been Busted Out

Sad Hitler is sad about being used for political gain.​New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino's scary, insane run for the highest executive office of our state has already seen: Garbage-scented flyers, Freaky, possibly racist flyers of his opponent, Andrew Cuomo, showering in garba ... More >>

Angry Man Carl Paladino: 'You think these people who voted for us yesterday just crawled out of a space ship?'

​Less than 24 hours after winning his first election, Carl "Angry Man" Paladino sat down in a TV studio to prove that just because he's now the official Republican standard-bearer for governor doesn't mean he's going to put a cork in it. Paladino sat somewhere in Buffalo while NY1's Elizabeth ... More >>

Mosque Near Ground Zero Passes Another Hurdle

Community Board One voted last night 24-to-11 (with two abstentions) not to push for landmark status of 45-47 Park Place. That location is set to be the home of the formerly named Cordoba House, the $100 million mosque and interfaith cultural center just a couple blocks from where the World Trade Ce ... More >>

Eric Schneiderman, Too Beholden to Teachers' Union to Be Attorney General?

Schneiderman​Eric Schneiderman, the Manhattan state senator running for Attorney General, was one of 12 Democrats who voted against the charter school bill that passed 45 to 15 on Monday. Ironically, though a bill authorizing new charter schools appears irrelevant to the AG race, t ... More >>

State Senate Votes to More Than Double Number of Charter Schools

​The State Senate voted yesterday to raise the number of charter schools in the state to 460 from 200. Majority Leader John Sampson supported the legislation and, despite significant Democratic resistance, led it to a surprisingly bipartisan victory (45-15). More than doubling the number of c ... More >>

Sheldon Silver Finds the Acceptable-Insults Limit for Still-Governor Paterson

It may seem these days as if our leaders may visit upon David Paterson any insult and get away with it, but apparently Sheldon Silver has tested the limits of such behavior. Today in the Daily News, the assembly speaker suggested that maybe Lieutenant Governor Richard Ravitch -- the governor-presump ... More >>

Commissioner Ray Kelly: NYPD heard about the 9/11 trials the day they were publicly announced

​Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told an auditorium full of Young Republicans yesterday that the NYPD was never consulted by the Justice Department about the 9/11 trials. In a speech to the New York Young Republican Club, Kelly said that neither he nor Mayor Bloomberg were told that the trials w ... More >>

Cheek, in Review: 7 Days of Runnin' Scared

​ Twitpic via DPixel. It was a short week but a merry one, with or without a vodka infused turkey. Now that Thanksgiving has been properly ruined, thanks to the diabolical War on Thanksgiving, and Black Friday has passed without fatalities, we descend into Xmas, which has apparently been mad ... More >>

Albany Special Sessions Grow Increasingly Less Special

​We know this stretches the definition of news, but the Albany special sessions haven't accomplished much in the way of deficit reduction. Sheldon Silver informs us the hard-working assembly has been churning out bills, including one inspired by the sad case of Leandra Rosado that will make it ... More >>

Special Session 1 Isn't Much; Special Session 2 Next Week

This week's special session of the legislature in Albany hasn't been too dramatic. Gay marriage was punted in the senate yesterday, and the bill probably won't be revisited until next month. Senators and assemblymembers are enjoying their Veterans Day holiday without having voted on the deficit red ... More >>

20,000 in Midtown Protest Gay Marriage, Paterson, Silver, Village Voice

Photos by Candice M. Giove. When State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz ascended the stage at an anti-gay marriage rally Sunday in front of Governor David A. Paterson's midtown office, he tried to put the fear of the God-fearing flock that stretched for several city blocks into him and his fellow politici ... More >>

Doomed Gay Marriage Bill Passes Assembly

In a statement, Sheldon Silver expresses his pleasure that the gay marriage bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell and backed by Governor Paterson, passed the assembly 89 to 52. "This is a matter of equity and justice," he say. "New Yorkers should have the right to marry who they chose." W ... More >>

Flash! Albany Working on MTA Plan

Albany lawmakers are behind closed doors, working on an MTA plan. A taxi surcharge and payroll taxes are among the remedies they're considering. Paterson's calling for "action." His new wrinkle is to offer constituents reimbursement of the payroll tax to their school districts -- a typical Albany Ru ... More >>

Paterson Threatens 8,900 Layoffs to Close Budget Gap

Governor Paterson is playing hardball, or at least fast-pitch softball, with the civil service unions. He wants them to skip a pay increase and give back some on benefits, or else, he says, he may have to fire 8,900 of them to close his growing budget gap. That's about four percent of the government ... More >>

State Senate MTA Plan Gets Cold Reception

As promised, the state senate Democrats presented their watered-down MTA budget proposal today and, as predicted, no one likes it. Well, senator Pedro Espada likes it -- "Today's a great day for Pedro Espada, the M.T.A. ridership and the State Senate," he told Politicker NY. But Transportation Alter ... More >>

Governor Abandons Soda Tax, iPod Tax, and Other Weird Taxes

Apparently Governor Paterson is giving up on that whole tax-everything thing, or at least part of it. At a press conference Paterson joined Sheldon Silver and Malcolm Smith and opened with what we hope was a joke: "The Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker and I have good news. That news is that ... More >>

Landlords Can't Shun Section 8 Tenants, Court Rules

Boy, New York landlords are getting their asses kicked these days, aren't they? Well, not far enough, but it's a good start. Earlier this month Sheldon Silver pushed a bunch of tough tenant-friendly laws through the state assembly, and they await the senate's disposition. The Association for Neighb ... More >>

This Week in the Voice

You may have heard of the former Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, Judith Kaye. But do you know the man who replaced her, Jonathan Lippman? Do you know he never practiced as an attorney, and barely served as a judge? So how'd he get appointed to this exalted position? Connections, baby -- chief ... More >>

Albany Ready to Referendum Bloomberg's Term-Limits Plan

Paterson Campaign Site Pushes Honesty, "Civility"; Other NY Pols Rely on Cash

Weekend Peek-In: Pre-Primary Report (Updated)

Newell Defends, Distances from Crothers Mailing; Also, Favors "Single Payer"

Lee Bollinger's Triumph

Will President Ahmadinejad invite President Bollinger to speak in Tehran?

Congestion Pricing Panel Named

Exclusive: Fight! Fight! Fight!

Rated X crew walk out, MisShapes smokes, and Axl Rose's assistant gets into scuffle

Barring Bars

Proposed legislation would freeze liquor licenses; Rated X is back

A Queens Ransom

The Mets are in and the Jets are out, but where do the taxpayers fit in?

The Jets' End Run

Will Bloomberg and Pataki spend billions without legislative approval?

Corrections

Letters

One Million Gone?

Is Bloomberg Sitting Tight While Housing Destabilizes?

Close-up on the Financial District

New York’s Anti-Terror Express

State Pols Ride a Troubling Crime Agenda Toward Re-Election

The Giuliani Dilemma

How Freddy and Mark Used Rudy to Define Themselves