An Apologetic Shelly Silver Tries to Fix Albany’s Sexual Harassment Problem
Facing growing calls for his resignation, Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver, surrounded by an army of loyal supporters, apologized for his handling of the Vito Lopez allegations and announced a series of reforms to ensure, he said, that such mistakes will never be made again.
“I want New Yorkers to know I care deeply about this institution and its employees, that I remain dedicated to our core commission of protecting those who are most in need of a strong and caring government,” Mr. Silver told reporters at a press conference in Albany hours after Mr. Lopez officially resigned.
To help prevent any future interference, Mr. Silver announced that, going forward, all sexual harassment complaints made against an elected official or staffer will be handled by independent investigator or counsel, who will neither be appointed nor serve at the will of the speaker.
Mr. Silver also moved to ban all confidential settlements by any government agency, including both houses of the Legislature and the Governor’s office. And he announced that any member or supervisor who is informed about harassment by another employee will have a mandatory duty to report that harassment–or face immediate sanctions.
Read more at http://politicker.com/2013/05/an-apologetic-shelly-silver-tries-to-fix-albanys-sexual-harassment-problem/