Case 1:15-cr-00093-VEC Document 262-11 Filed 04/20/16 Page 13 of 17
Silver not only had to negotiate with the Senate and the Governor, he had to consider the interests of the Assembly majority, tenant advocates, developers, landlords, loft law tenants, condo owners, the City of New York, affordable housing advocates, unions and others. All groups had their own agendas. At one point, when the Republican Governor and Republican-controlled Senate wanted to allow rent laws to expire permanently, Mr. Silver actually held up the State's budget to make sure tenant protections stayed in place. In 2007 when major changes to the 421-a program were under consideration, I was present at numerous meetings with Mr. Silver involving these very matters. On every occasion that I was present Mr. Silver put the interests of his constituents and the Assembly first and foremost. He is a masterful negotiator and repeatedly achieved negotiated agreements that served the best interest of his members and constituents. Mr. Silver is a fierce advocate for his district. He often asked me to work on matters of importance to his constituents but also had me assist individuals and families. He was deeply concerned with the wellbeing of his constituents and I often sensed that his motivation stemmed more from wanting to help a neighbor than courting a vote. I was never asked to work on any matter that served Mr. Silver's personal interests and never observed any instance in which Mr. Silver used his office to advance his personal interests. From 2009-2013 Mr. Silver designated me as the Assembly Speaker's appointee to the Board ofthe State ofNew York Mortgage Agency. As a board member I often voted on discretionary matters which provided substantial benefits to real estate developers. For all of the years that I served I was always able to exercise my independent judgment and throughout this time made decisions that were in the best interest of the Agency free of any pressure or influence from Speaker Silver. I have known Sheldon Silver for over 30 years. Throughout this time I knew him to be an honorable man and dedicated public servant. I respectfully request that the Court take my personal observations and more importantly Mr. Silver's long record of honorable and dedicated public service into consideration and deliver as lenient a sentence as possible.
2