Silver's Meeting on Deadline Day

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is convening a meeting of New York City and suburban Assembly members at 2pm on Monday, July 16 downtown at 250 Broadway, according to a source familiar with details of the meeting. That's the very date that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had hoped Assembly members in Albany would agree on the congestion pricing legislation.

Because the lawmakers are not meeting in Albany as a legislative body, they can't possibly reach the official agreement that Bloomberg sought. Bloomberg has repeatedly said that July 16 is the deadline by which state lawmakers need to approve the plan in order for New York to qualify for $500 million in federal funds.

It looks like the lawmakers aren't going to meet that deadline.

The meeting does give Silver some political cover though. At least he can say that he and his colleagues in the Assembly were earnestly studying the issue, and not loafing on vacation.

Still. Not good news for Bloomberg or his congestion pricing proposal.