LOWER MANHATTAN — Instead of ire or stinging rebuke, many of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s Lower Manhattan constituents reacted with sadness to his conviction on corruption charges, saying that in losing the longtime legislator, they've lost a powerful, effective advocate.
In Silver, Lower Manhattan and the Lower East Side — neighborhoods he represented for 40 years — had a strong and dedicated political voice, whose power made him especially efficient for getting things done, residents said.
For many, Silver’s conviction is the culmination of something they had long feared in the months after the 71-year-old’s arrest — their reliable, influential representative is gone.
“It’s just sad,” said Paul Hovitz, a longtime member of Community Board 1. “We were all shocked when the charges came out against Shelly — for people Downtown, all we’ve known him as is a powerful advocate, someone who helped do what was best for the community.”
Hovitz, a long supporter of Silver’s who had hoped for a different outcome for Silver, accepted the jury’s verdict but said he doesn't know if the lawmaker did anything more egregious than other elected officials.
“I think we all see that there is a certain way business has been done in Albany and that’s the world Shelly was in — but I’m not condoning those things, I think Shelly should have known better,” Hovitz said.
Still, Hovitz added, “It always struck me that he led a very simple life. My heart goes out to him and his family.”
Several local leaders including Lower Manhattan’s City Councilwoman Margaret Chin also lamented the loss of Silver as a champion for Downtown.
“[Monday] was a sad day for all New Yorkers,” she said in an emailed statement. “But it was a particularly sad day for residents of Lower Manhattan, who lost an effective advocate for their interests in Albany.”
Silver built his reputation Downtown as a dedicated representative with years of support for initiatives big and small, from helping to rebuild after 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy to getting more school crossing guards.
Several years ago, when school overcrowding and kindergarten waitlists sparked concerns, Silver formed a task force with community leaders to push for new schools in the area. Residents credit him with getting the Spruce Street School, P.S. 276 and the Peck Slip School built.
Silver continued to run the overcrowding task force up until April of this year, with his trial pending. He was given a round of applause at that meeting, by parents and longtime community advocates who Silver called his “friends.”
Silver was also known as a longtime advocate for affordable housing. A few years ago, he negotiated rent protections for 3,500 residents of Battery Park City’s Gateway Plaza as the building’s owner tried several times to turn the apartments market-rate, residents said.
Several residents said they were concerned about what will happen in Lower Manhattan without Silver’s influence. Manhattan Community Board 1 chairwoman Catherine McVay Hughes said the lack of Silver’s strength “will hurt” Downtown.
But while many are lamenting the neighborhood’s loss, others are looking to the future — one that could see an Assembly that’s not as scandal-scarred. The type of effective advocacy Silver brought to Lower Manhattan was part of deeper corruption in Albany, some residents said — he wielded too much power.
On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will likely hold a special election for Silver’s seat.
Two likely candidates have expressed interest in the seat so far: Paul Newell the Democratic district leader for the 65th Assembly District, who ran against Silver in 2008 and Jenifer Rajkumar, a lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged Margaret Chin for council seat two years ago.
Newell, a community organizer, has long rallied against the cycle of corruption in Albany — it was the central reason he ran against Silver in 2008, he said.
A major point of contention for Newell is the fact that assembly members are considered part-time, and can earn an outside salary. It's something that now — with Silver's conviction — has been proven to lead to corruption, Newell said.
However, Newell said, there's something he and Silver agree on.
“Silver, or Silver's lawyers, said in his defense that in the current system in Albany, it’s impossible not to have conflicts of interest” Newell said. “He was right about that, and that's why we need change now."
