The Remarks Of Speaker Sheldon Silver

2006 Mock Session

Assembly Chamber
Tuesday, May 2, 2006

Assembly Member Ron Canestrari.
Doctor Helen Desfosses. Doctor Dennis Smith.
Members of the Session Internship Class of 2006.

Good evening and welcome to the New York State Assembly's Annual Mock Session.

Interns, let me begin by telling you how much I enjoyed last night's Forum.

I was genuinely impressed by the caliber of your questions. I hope that my answers were not only informative, but that they gave you a sense of just how seriously we take our Assembly Internship Program.

From your questions last night and from the reports I have received since the beginning of this legislative session, it is clear to me that this intern class - the Class of 2006 - ranks among the most intelligent and politically savvy intern classes the Assembly has ever had.

On behalf of the Members of this House - my friends and colleagues on both sides of the aisle - let me say how fortunate we are to have such an extraordinary and talented group of interns assisting us as we carry out the work in this legislative session.

As I have the Speaker's privilege, let me take a moment to express my gratitude to Irina Yegutkin, who was assigned to my office and who will serve as your speaker for this evening's mock session.

Irina, may your presence here on the dais herald the day when a woman will be elected the Speaker of the New York State Assembly.

On behalf of the House, allow me to recognize the Chair of the Assembly's Committee on Higher Education and the Chair of our Internship Program, Assembly Member Ron Canestrari.

Let me also express gratitude - and that of this Body - to your distinguished instructors: Doctor Helen Desfosses and Doctor Dennis Smith.

This was their inaugural session as the instructors of our intern program. By all accounts, they did a terrific job, and I think they deserve a healthy round of applause. Well done!

At last night's forum, I gave you a brief history of the journey that brought me to the Speaker's Office. This evening, I want to make sure that you are cognizant of where it is that you are sitting.

The New York State Assembly is as old as America itself. While that may be amusing to those in this class who come from nations with ancient histories, I will remind you that this House was formed with the genesis of American Democracy, and its leaders have contributed mightily to its ascendance.

Many have waxed poetic in calling this Chamber a "temple to Democracy." When it comes to the government of the State of New York, to me, this chamber will always be, "THE PEOPLE'S HOUSE."

It's grandeur may deceive you, but every square inch of this Chamber is held upright and laced together by the dreams and the prayers of countless generations of immigrants, by the sweat of working men and women, by the blood and sacrifice of heroes, by the tears of all who found freedom and justice here, and by the hopes of the children who will lead this State long after we are but a memory.

I have stood on this dais numerous times over the years. Trust me when I say that the view never ceases to inspire me, for I not only see the future in your faces, I hear the echoes of our heritage.

From the days when an assemblyman named Alexander Hamilton clashed with a Governor named Clinton, the men and women of the New York State Assembly have been the architects not only of an Empire State, but of the greatest nation in human history.

As you proceed with your mock session this evening, consider that this Body has seen:

• Two of its Members become President of the United States;
• Four, Vice Presidents;
• Eight, become United States Senators;
• And eighteen become Governors of New York.

Standing and debating in this Chamber have been such notable Americans as:

• Teddy Roosevelt, America's 26th President;

• Shirley Chisholm, who went on from this Chamber to become the FIRST African American woman in Congress;

• Al Smith, former Speaker of the Assembly from Lower Manhattan, former Governor of New York State, and the 1928 Democratic presidential nominee;

• Mary Lilly, the first woman admitted to practice law in New York, who along with Republican Ida Sammis ... were among America's FIRST women legislators;

• And, Oscar Garcia Rivera, the first American of Puerto Rican heritage to be elected to public office in the continental United States.

That name might not be familiar to you, but some 36 years ago, with a woman's right to choose hanging in the balance, this Assemblyman who represented Cayuga and Cortland Counties cast the deciding vote in support of "Choice," and in doing so, sacrificed his political career.

When you take a seat in this, the People's House, you unquestionably inherit a formidable legacy, and it is a legacy that is forever evolving.

In 1996, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat became the first Dominican American state legislator in American history.

In 2004, Assemblyman Jimmy Meng became the first Asian American to hold a seat in the New York State Legislature.

Each generation bring its own unique vision and leadership style to this historic body.

Together, we have advanced reforms that have made this House more open and accountable than ever before.

Being here is also about working together and sharing a common goal not unlike a family.

Each and every time I stand here, I see faces of leaders from both sides of the aisle whom I admire and care for deeply.

I see the faces of leaders who are occupying seats once held by their parents or spouses, and carrying on a family tradition of public service.

I remember the voices of former Assembly colleagues: Charles Schumer, Charles Rangel, Louise Slaughter, Jerrold Nadler, Maurice Hinchey, Michael McNulty, and Alan Hevesi, who have moved on to other governmental endeavors.

And I recall the friends, such as Assembly Member Sandra Lee Wirth, whose passing reminds how much like a family we are.

We laugh together. We grieve together. We support each other. We beat each other up.

We have our good times. We have our bad times. But in the end, we do the People's business, together.

This year, each and every one of you has become an honorary member of this family, and you will add your voices to those of the truly extraordinary men and women who have served in the People's House.

I hope that you appreciate that as much as we do.

On behalf of this Body, I want to wish each and every one of you, the Assembly Intern Class of 2006, the very best as your pursue your dreams and your careers.

My congratulations to you, our Interns, and to all of the Members and staff who make this the outstanding public internship program that it is.

Please, enjoy your mock session and know that you are always welcome here in The People's House.