Silver's Change of Heart on Bloomberg's Gansevoort Transfer Station

Many people have thought for a long time that Michael Bloomberg’s solid waste plan--which included opening a garbage transfer station near Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District--would never pass in Albany, given that three Assembly members from Manhattan opposed it.

But at the end of session last week, the bill suddenly passed, with Sheldon Silver's support, although those Manhattan Assembly members still opposed it.

Matthew Washington, deputy director for Friends of Hudson River Park, which opposed the plan, couldn't quite explain what had changed. “Very early on, it seemed like he [Silver] was supportive of his members--Dick Gottfried, Deborah Glick, Linda Rosenthal--who’ve always been against using the Gansevoort site as a marine transfer station," Washington told me. "And at the last minute, you know, it seemed like there was a change and I don’t know what caused that change.”

One of Sheldon Silver’s Democratic opponents, Paul Newell, thinks Silver is trying to position himself as an environmental advocate ahead of the primary in September. “There’s no way for anyone to ever tell why anything progresses through our legislature because our laws are written in secret,” Newell said. “That said, I think it’s very likely that Sheldon Silver, facing his first serious challenge of his political career, from a committed environmentalist decided to play ball on an important issue.”

Silver’s legislative spokesman, Dan Weiller, dismissed Newell’s characterization and said he’s standing by what Silver said when the deal was reached:

• More:
• Politics |
• Politics Daily |
• Sheldon Silver