‘Wall Street Journal’ Calls Local Legislator Anthony Brindisi a “Young Gun,” Instrumental in Ouster of Sheldon Silver
In the modern political era New York Democrats are not associated, typically, with guns, but a national news outlet is characterizing a local legislator exactly that way.
Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi, from New York's 119th District, is being called a "young gun" by Wall Street Journal writer Erica Orden.
Orden's article appears in today's edition. The headline reads, "As Silver Dug In, Young Guns Revolted, Newer Legislators Led Charge to Oust Speaker After Learning of Plan to Retain Clout."
The subject of the article is, of course, the stepping down of long-time New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver following his January 22nd arrest on corruption charges filed by Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Immediately following his arrest Silver said that he would fight the charges and that he would not step down but rather temporarily transfer his leadership duties to a group of five legislative leaders. Not surprisingly, that did not sit well with many Republicans, including State Senator Joseph Griffo, who called the idea a "cockamamie" one.
But what many behind the scenes did not know was that the proposition also did not sit well with some Dems, most notably, according to the WSJ, a group of five "young guns."
Crediting Assembly members Anthony Brindisi, Todd Kaminsky, Brian Kavanagh, Nily Rozic, and Sean Ryan with orchestrating the ouster, Orden calls specific attention to comments made by Brindisi, Kavanagh, and David Buchwald suggesting that "...the conference start an open and honest discussion of its future, rather than instinctively hold on to Mr. Silver." That sentiment was in stark contrast to comments made publicly by other Democrats at the time. According to Orden's article, the younger members took a political risk, acting against specific instructions by senior members to remain unified in their support of the Speaker.
The newer members rallied enough support to force Silver to give up his leadership post. Silver will, however, remain a member of the State Assembly, representing the 65th District (Lower Manhattan) since he was first elected in 1976.
Although members of Silver's own party were responsible, ultimately, for his ouster as Speaker, some members of the GOP say the coup is long overdue. 101st District Assemblywoman Claudia Tenney said, "I would call Sheldon Silver, probably until last week, the most powerful man in New York."
I would call Sheldon Silver, probably until last week, the most powerful man in New York
She made the comments on WIBX's First News with Keeler in the Morning on Friday. Of Silver she says, "I've been talking about him being a dirty guy since I got into the Assembly...the ruthlessness, the way he treats people, he's like a modern-day dictator."
Of the pending investigation said to be underway into possible activities by New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican, Tenney says " I don't think Skelos is in the same league, to his credit (as Silver is)."
This morning Skelos' Communications Director, Kelly Cummings, released the following written statement, referring to reporting that Skelos was the "next target" of Bharara's investigation:
"Last night's thinly-sourced report by WNBC is irresponsible, and does not meet the standards of serious journalism. Senator Skelos has not been contacted by anyone from the U.S. Attorney's Office. As such, we won't be commenting further."
The Assembly formally votes on a new Speaker on February 10th. Until then Rochester Democrat Joseph Morelle will serve in Silver's stead. Tenney says, "Most of the upstate Republicans would support Morelle just to make sure we have an upstate leader." That, however, will not happen, since Morelle pulled himself out of the Speaker's race this morning.
But she is not content with it all ending there. "I think they're going after all three amigos [Cuomo, Silver, and Skelos]...Let's see how ferocious...these two are about bringing (Governor Andrew) Cuomo down."
The interview with Assemblywoman Tenney from this morning's WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning can be heard here:
Brindisi, when speaking with WIBX earlier this week, did not allude to the potential coup by he and his colleagues. Instead he was reserved, saying only that they had been "...meeting over the last couple several days to come up with some reforms that we think will help in the process...So I think, truly, that there has to be limits on how long someone can serve as the Speaker. I think there has to be limits on how long someone can serve as a chair of a committee..."
You can hear the full interview with Brindisi from January 28, 2015 here:
Preetinder "Preet" Singh Bharara, who previously worked as Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Charles "Chuck" Schumer, was appointed to his current position by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2009. He has dedicated himself to rooting out corruption in the political arena, most notably promising to pick up where the Governor Cuomo's Moreland Commission left off, after Cuomo disbanded the group in 2014, only months after the group had released a report of its preliminary findings.
Whether this newest group of "young guns" in the Assembly proves as effective in their respective leadership positions - or whether they will in fact become the primary targets of future investigations - remains to be seen. For the time being they are, publicly at least, attempting to keep the integrity of the New York State legislature in their sights.
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