Longtime Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (Manhattan) sat down with us this week to give his reaction to, among other things, Governor Cuomo's budget proposal. Our Karen DeWitt asked the Assembly leader if he was in favor of the "pension smoothing" plan outlined by the governor that will allow local governments to lock in a rate now to reduce current payments while defering a portion of the costs down the road. The Speaker told us it's ultimately up to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli whether the plan is right for New York. In a New York Times article published after our interview, DiNapoli says he has "serious concerns" over the proposal by the governor. Does this mean, based on the speaker's comments to us, that the Assembly wouldn't support the plan if DiNapoli doesn't?
Watch the full interview with Sheldon Silver above.