Silver's Opponent on the Death of Congestion Pricing

Thanks in large part to Sheldon Silver, congestion pricing is dead. Now, Silver's Democratic primary opponent, Paul Newell, wants to make sure the Assembly speaker gets credit.

“This is a perfect example of how the broken system in Albany fails New Yorkers, and lower Manhattanites [are] included in that category,” Newell said.

“What is the point of being represented by the speaker of the State Assembly if he can’t even go to bat for us when it counts?”

He said that Silver‘s “argument has been that he has this power that he can use on behalf of lower Manhattan. But here, he clearly failed to do so. He fails us not only as an assemblyman, but he fails us as a speaker.”

Newell said the demise of congestion pricing is an example of systemic problem in Albany. "This system is broken. It is broken because of Sheldon Silver’s speakership. We, in lower Manhattan, are in a unique position to change that,” he said.

When I asked Newell if he was in contact with Michael Bloomberg or any of the mayor's aides about his race, Newell paused briefly, and said, “I have no comment on that one.”

UPDATE: A spokesman for Silver's campaign, Jonathan Rosen, declined to comment.