State Assemblymember Speaker Sheldon Silver Touts His Record On Affordable Housing

NY Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver addresses members of the "freelancers union"

The Freelancers Union held a members only event last night at the White Rabbit on E. Houston St., where State Assemblymember Speaker Sheldon Silver was the guest speaker. He spoke about employment taxes, health insurance, and his desire to find a solution which would make it easier for freelancers who get stiffed on jobs to recoup those costs, without having to resort to piling up legal fees. After his speech, he took some questions from the crowd.

Having read the Village Voice that afternoon, and the article about SPURA, you know I was dying to ask him about it; ultimately though, I chickened out. But a woman in the crowd did ask him about affordable housing, explaining that Speaker Silver's opponent, who was outside, does not think Silver does enough on the issue. Speaker Silver first responded that the question was not relevant to the discussion that evening. "This is not a political event, so I don't think I have to respond to that..." (YouTube link)

Someone else in the crowd objected, noting that everyone here is a freelancer, and affordable housing is very much an issue. Speaker Silver relented, and addressed the issue by recounting how much he has done for affordable housing in nyc. Appropriately, the sound system sh*t the bed after that, he took one more question, and the show was a wrap.