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Assemblyman Ortiz doesn't expect Speaker Silver to fall

New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is facing a possible ethics probe after it was disclosed this week that he steered more than one-hundred-thousand dollars in secret payments to settle sexual harassment charges levied against Democrat Vito Lopez. But fellow Brooklyn Assemblyman Felix Ortiz tells WAMC’s Capitol Connection program that he doesn’t expect Silver to be ousted.

"Probably he will continue to have members' support," Ortiz told WAMC. "I think Shelly is a person that knows how to move his cards. I think the Speaker will continue to do what he has done for the people of the state of New York."

Dr. Alan Chartock is professor emeritus at the University at Albany. He hosts the weekly Capitol Connection series, heard on public radio stations around New York. The program, for almost 12 years, highlighted interviews with Governor Mario Cuomo and now continues with conversations with state political leaders. Dr. Chartock also appears each week on The Media Project and The Roundtable and offers commentary on Morning Edition, weekdays at 7:40 a.m.