Reform in the Assembly? (Updated)
During his 20-year tenure as speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver was notorious for the tight rein he held over members of the Democratic conference and the chamber. Now that Silver is expected to resign his speakership on Monday, there is a growing movement of Democratic members pushing for reforms that would prevent a new speaker from gaining the absolute control Silver once enjoyed.
A diverse group of 20 to 25 lawmakers from both upstate and downstate have held a series of meetings to discuss the best way to ensure that there is reform to Assembly operations going forward. Before the Assembly Democrats had even decided Silver should step down as speaker, potential replacements were being floated. Since the announcement, at least four members have officially thrown their hat into the ring.
“Our angle is to present a set of reforms that we’re going to formalize to all the candidates that put their names out there as potential speaker and see how they stand on these reforms,” Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda said on Wednesday. “We want to open [the process] up and make it more democratic and not invest so much power in one person.”
On Thursday, the group released an open letter to candidates for the speakership. In the letter, 23 Assembly Democrats, many of them younger and newer to the chamber, ask candidates to consider reforms to leadership and staffing and reforms that would promote greater transparency and participation. The letter, sent to every Assembly Democrat, also asks that the candidate who eventually is elected speaker commit to appointing a task force to pursue the reforms.
“We believe that these reforms are the best way to restore faith in our ability to serve the public. Any change in leadership must be accompanied by substantial reform in the way the State Assembly functions,” the letter says. “Now is the time to move forward to build a better, stronger Assembly.”
One of the lawmakers who signed the letter, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, said that the group still had not lined up behind any candidate for speaker, but that each contender's positions on the reform proposals they raised would be taken into account.
"We are also asking that a task force on reform be formed to develop these principles in a more deliberative manner," Fahy said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer stressed that the movement has not been formalized in any way—it is not yet a conference or a caucus.
“There’s a range of issues in which we have a difference of opinion, but I think in general our interest is in making sure these interests are fully vetted before the next speaker is elected and that there’s both some short-term changes and a long-term commitment,” Mayer said before the letter was finalized.
Both Mayer and Sepúlveda said challenging the Assembly's seniority rules will be paramount. Traditionally, influence and leadership roles—such as chairmanships or speakership—are gained largely through seniority. Currently, about 40 percent of the Assembly is made up of members who have been newly elected in the past 6-8 years.
“That’s a very significant group of incredibly talented … and new members who bring tremendous value not only to their constituency, but to the Assembly,” Mayer said. “We want to be sure that their voices are included.”
A career educator who is elected to the Assembly, for example, might have more weight given to their opinion in matters of education than a senior member with no experience in that area. Sepúlveda also wants previous offices held, such as city council seats, to be considered as legislative experience in the Assembly.
“That’s one of the issues that there is a lot of interest in—in changing the very strict seniority rules,” Mayer said. “Exactly how to do it, I think, is a bit of a work in progress, but seniority being the only criteria for leadership or chairmanship is one thing I think many of us are concerned about.”
Other avenues of reform include modernizing Assembly technology and ensuring equal allocation of staff budgets among all members.
A draft list of reforms obtained by City & State earlier this week also proposed setting term limits for speaker and committee chairs and revising how bills get to the floor.
“We feel very optimistic that this is a moment in time to influence this conversation and we’re hopeful that our efforts will lead to improvements,” Mayer said.
“This is a once in a lifetime—at least for us new members, 42 percent of the body is relatively new—this is an opportunity for us to reflect change,” Sepúlveda said. “No one person should have this much power.”
See the full letter from Assembly members below: