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Joe Lhota: Sheldon SIlver Should Resign Over Handling Of Vito Lopez Sexual Harassment Charges

Lhota Calls On Silver To Resign
Newsday
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NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 09: Joe Lhota attends Loews Regency Hotel's Inaugural Power Breakfast at Park Avenue Winter on January 9, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Getty Images)

Republican mayoral hopeful Joseph Lhota Friday called on the embattled State Assembly speaker, Democrat Sheldon Silver, to resign over allegations he mishandled sexual harassment charges against Vito Lopez.

Lhota stands in contrast with the major Democratic candidates for mayor, all of whom affirmed their support for Silver at a televised debate earlier this week.

Standing at the steps of City Hall, Lhota demanded "all of the candidates who are running for mayor to stand with me and stand with the women of this state and make sure we don't have people in power who just continually abuse their office."

Silver is under fire for authorizing a six-figure settlement in the Lopez case and initially not referring the matter for further investigation. Lopez, a powerful Brooklyn Democrat, was found by a state investigation to have serially harassed subordinate staffers and threatened them with retaliation if they didn't submit to him.

Only after the allegations became public did Silver strip Lopez of his leadership role. Lopez quit the Assembly just before his colleagues were to vote to banish him.

Lhota said the "last straw" in his mind occurred Friday on the Assembly floor when the "speaker's henchmen" cut off the microphone of Assemb. Steve Katz (R-Yorktown) when Katz tried to criticize Silver's handling of sex cases. ___

(c)2013 Newsday

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Before You Go

2013 NYC Mayoral Candidates
Bill de Blasio (01 of12)
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Currently the city's Public Advocate, Bill de Blasio announced his bid for mayor in January 2013.He has supported the paid sick leave bill, banning horse-drawn carriages, and has been fiercely critical of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's homeless policies. (credit:Getty Images)
Anthony Weiner(02 of12)
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Former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner finally announced his bid for mayor in May after months of intense speculation by the media and politicians alike. In 2011, an embarrassing sexting scandal forced Weiner to resign from Congress. The lewd photos, along with his denial and subsequent admission, kept him out of the political spotlight until this spring. (credit:AP)
John Liu(03 of12)
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As the city's current comptroller, John Liu oversees New York City's finances. Despite a federal investigation accusing two former aides to Liu of breaking campaign finance laws, Liu announced his candidacy for mayor in March.In a recent interview, Liu said, "We are all liberal Democrats" and suggested Democratic mayoral hopefuls were all the same, differing on only a few issues such as stop and frisk. If elected, Liu would become the city's first Asian-American mayor. (credit:Getty Images)
Christine Quinn(04 of12)
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Christine Quinn is the current City Council Speaker of New York City. She is said to be Mayor Michael Bloomberg's favorite candidate. (credit:Getty Images)
Bill Thompson(05 of12)
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From 2002-2009, Bill Thompson served as New York City's Comptroller. Thompson, a Democrat, ran for mayor in 2009 against Bloomberg. He was outspent 14 to 1 by Bloomberg, and still only lost by a few percentage points. (credit:Getty Images)
Adolfo Carrion Jr. (06 of12)
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Adolfo Carrion, Jr. was the Bronx Borough President from 2002 to 2009 and was appointed by the Obama administration as the Regional Director for HUD's New York office. He is running for mayor as an independent. (credit:Getty Images)
Erick Salgado(07 of12)
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Staten Island's Rev. Erick Salgado announced his Democratic candidacy for mayor, despite a socially conservative agenda which includes anti-gay marriage, pro-life policies. (credit:Facebook)
Sal Albanese(08 of12)
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Sal Albanese is a former city council member also hoping to win the Democratic primary. He also worked as a New York City public school teacher. This will be his third bid for mayor of New York City. (credit:Facebook/© Callie Lipkin)
Joseph Lhota(09 of12)
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Before launching his GOP candidacy for mayor, Joseph Lhota served as MTA chairman and served as the City’s Budget Director in Mayor Giuliani’s first term, and Deputy Mayor for Operations during the second.In 1999, he fought a public battle against the Brooklyn Museum to remove a portrait of the Virgin Mary containing elephant dung. He lost. (credit:Getty Images)
John Catsimatidis (10 of12)
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John Catsimatidis . a Republican candidate for mayor, is a billionaire supermarket mogul. He is known for his pro-NYPD policies and supports the continuation of the department's controversial stop-and-frisk program. (credit:Getty Images)
George McDonald(11 of12)
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George McDonald is the founder and president of The Doe Fund, a non-profit that seeks to help homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals find work. He has never held public office.He initially identified himself as a Democrat but has since switched to the Republican party. McDonald has received criticism for trying to challenge campaign contribution limits. (credit:Facebook)
Anthony Weiner(12 of12)
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Former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner finally announced his bid for mayor in May after months of intense speculation by the media and politicians alike. In 2011, an embarrassing sexting scandal forced Weiner to resign from Congress. The lewd photos, along with his denial and subsequent admission, have since dogged his political career, but a recent poll revealed many New Yorkers were willing to forgive and forget, with voters putting him at second only behind frontrunner Christine Quinn. (credit:AP)
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