Half of NY voters think Speaker Silver should resign
By RICHARD MOODY
A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University released Wednesday found that 51 percent of New York state voters say Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should step down after he tried to cover up several sexual harassment claims made against Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
According to the independent poll, 54 percent of men say Silver should give up his position as speaker of the Assembly. As the governor unveiled his 10-point Women's Equality Agenda this week which in part addresses workplace harassment 48 percent of women voters said Silver should step down as speaker, compared to 21 percent who say he should not.
Silver was criticized in a report by a special investigator in the Lopez case for creating an environment that condoned the harassment. He has also been attacked by fellow lawmakers, the press and the public for authorizing a payment of $103,000 to cover up the allegations of harassment.
"The Vito Lopez sex scandal persuades a bare majority of New Yorkers that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should step aside. A lot of voters say get rid of the pack of them; there should be a legislative house-cleaning," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
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