To the Editor:
The Observer editorial “Time for Shelly to Go” [July 30] completely missed the mark.
Obviously, The Observer missed the 12 years of the Pataki administration where State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver single-handedly saved an enormous amount of funding for New York City mass transit, education, health care and other necessary services for the elderly, families in crisis and children in need.
The onerous cuts in budgets impacting the city of New York as proposed by the Pataki administration would have gutted the safety net and required city government to pick up some of the deficits. We would have witnessed enormous cuts in service delivery to all New Yorkers, but especially to those most in need. Mr. Silver often stood alone in the breach to help people in need.
Mr. Silver cares about New York state and city. He has devoted himself to ensuring the well-being of the people in the city and state that he loves, and his dedication to their needs is genuine—as evidenced by his three decades in public service.
Mr. Silver may not be a master showman; but his sound judgment, compassion and integrity are the essential ingredients of good government.
Rabbi Menachem Genack
Manhattan
