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Sheldon Silver To Be Replaced as Assembly Speaker

Albany assigns interim replacement, will hold an election in February

by
Gabriela Geselowitz
January 28, 2015
New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver walks out of the Federal Courthouse after his arraignment on January 22, 2015 in New York City. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images)
New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver walks out of the Federal Courthouse after his arraignment on January 22, 2015 in New York City. (Yana Paskova/Getty Images)

Since New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced he wouldn’t formally resign from his post after being arrested for corruption, Albany has determined to take the matter out of his hands, the New York Times reports.

After 20 years in power, Silver is in the middle of a swift and brutal fall from grace—prosecutors allege he illegally acquired nearly $4 million in an ongoing scheme that included taking bribes or making arrangements to benefit New York law firms in exchange for payments he failed to report.

Silver’s temporary replacement as speaker is Assemblyman Joseph D. Morelle, and other lawmakers will take on aspects of the job as well. The State Assembly will hold an election for the new speaker on Feb. 10.

Silver may still resign as a gesture, though he maintains his innocence. He has, however, agreed to not impede Albany’s process of replacing him.

Gabriela Geselowitz is a writer and the former editor of Jewcy.com.