As Silver is Sentenced, No Clear Path for Ethics Reform in Albany

Even as members of the New York State Assembly debated legislation on domestic abuse and criminalizing bass fishing in the Hudson River, the sentencing of their former leader — Sheldon Silver — didn't escape their notice.

When word that he'd been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison ripped through social media, legislators seated in the chamber turned to their phones. Some leaned in to the legislators sitting beside them and whispered.

The current speaker, Carl Heastie, called the sentencing an end of a dark period for the legislative body.

It was the latest stop in Silver's journey through the federal justice system that indicted him at the start of last year's legislative session and convicted him before Christmas, prompting loud cries for reform by the public and good government groups. But whether it seals a dark period is as debatable as the hundreds of bills yet to be considered before the session concludes in June.

Heastie said Tuesday there is work to do, and he explicitly cited ethics reform as a priority. But he's said that before, as have other leaders. Meanwhile, the Assembly and Senate have been at odds over what passes for reforms that can actually stem corruption.

Blair Horner of NYPIRG, a group that promotes open government, said real reform will happen when Governor Andrew Cuomo takes the lead, something he said he is waiting to see.

Cuomo outlined several reform measures in his state budget address, but when he signed the state budget last month, ethics was absent.