Sheldon Silver
Streetsblog Basics
Silver Challenger Paul Newell Campaigns on Livable Streets
In what may be a political first, Paul Newell, who is challenging Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the 64th District, mentions "livable streets" as one of his three major planks in this campaign clip. Newell and Luke Henry, another Silver challenger, have both voiced support for congestion pricing. The last time Silver faced a challenger in the Democratic primary was 1986.
April 25, 2008
Help Wanted: Legislators Needed to Fix Broken Capital
Can't wait for someone to challenge Shelly Silver, Deborah Glick, Hakeem Jeffries, Joan Millman and other members of the Albany crew that didn't allow congestion pricing to even come up for a vote? Neither can the New York Times.
April 14, 2008
Silver and Assembly Dems Defend Their “Democratic” Process
In the latest New York Observer, Azi Paybarah talks to state legislators and other insiders about how the congestion pricing non-vote went down on Monday. Conclusion: Assembly Democrats told Speaker Sheldon Silver what to do, not the other way around. And by killing the pricing bill behind closed doors, the thinking goes, the Democratic conference rightfully exerted its power.
April 9, 2008
Senate Moves Toward Pricing Vote
Liz Benjamin at the Daily Politics is reporting that Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno will call a floor vote on congestion pricing today:
April 7, 2008
Support for Pricing From Nassau Dem Michelle Schimel
While many of her colleagues are hoping to avoid taking a stand on congestion pricing by urging Speaker Sheldon Silver to kill the plan without a vote, Nassau County Assembly Democrat Michelle Schimel has come out strongly in favor with an editorial in the Great Neck Record:
April 7, 2008
Silver: Fate of Pricing Decided by Monday
Liz Benjamin at the Daily Politics is reporting that Sheldon Silver will direct Assembly Democrats to take action on congestion pricing by Monday, when the window to receive $354 million in federal funds expires. However, Silver would not guarantee that pricing will reach the floor for a full vote, only that a decision will be reached one way or the other.
April 3, 2008
Pricing Round-Up: Dems Conference in Albany
Assembly Democrats met behind closed doors last night to gauge their collective sentiment on congestion pricing. According to the Post, only seven of the 36 legislators who spoke during the meeting expressed support, but the one who matters most, Shelly Silver, remains uncommitted:
April 3, 2008
$1 Billion From Port Authority Not Enough for Shelly Silver
On Saturday night, the congestion pricing bill in the State Senate was amended to include exemptions for low-income drivers and cars with handicapped plates. As expected, the changes also stipulated a way to make New Jersey drivers pay "their fair share." In the amended bill, the Port Authority is required to contribute $1 billion to the MTA capital plan, or else drivers who use the Authority's Hudson River crossings will get a smaller pricing fee offset.
March 31, 2008
Bloomberg: Expect Some Tweaks to Pricing Bill
This morning, the Mayor's office praised the introduction of a congestion pricing bill in the State Assembly. At the end of the statement, Bloomberg drops a hint that the bill on the table is in for some fine-tuning:
March 28, 2008