Sheldon Silver, in an unusual arrangement, would temporarily delegate his duties as speaker to a group of senior Assembly members. Credit Yana Paskova/Getty Images
ALBANY — Sheldon Silver, the longtime speaker of the New York State Assembly, agreed on Sunday to relinquish his duties on a temporary basis as he fights federal corruption charges.
His decision came amid mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats in the Assembly, who worried that the criminal charges would impair his ability to carry out the duties of one of the most powerful positions in the state’s government.
In an unusual arrangement, Mr. Silver would not quit his post. Instead, he would temporarily delegate his duties as speaker to a group of senior Assembly members.
Under the plan, which the Assembly’s Democratic caucus is to consider in a closed-door meeting on Monday afternoon, Mr. Silver would “not specifically step down, but step back,†according to a person briefed on the situation, who insisted on anonymity because the plan had not yet been presented to the caucus.
Immediately after Mr. Silver’s arrest on Thursday, Democrats in the Assembly rallied behind him. Mr. Silver, who has proved adept over the years at withstanding ethical and legal scrutiny, predicted he would be vindicated.
But in the past few days, as legislators conferred and newspaper editorials called for Mr. Silver’s resignation, some members of his caucus grew convinced that he could not continue to be effective in his post with the cloud of scandal hanging over him.
Assembly Democrats faced some urgency because negotiations on the state budget, which must be finished by April 1, are getting underway.
“He is resolved to fight the case, but realized doing the budget while doing the case would be a distraction,†said a person involved in the discussions this weekend who was not authorized to speak on the record because of the sensitive nature of the talks.
Under the tentative plan developed on Sunday, the Assembly majority leader, Joseph D. Morelle of the Rochester area, and the chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Herman D. Farrell Jr., Democrat of Manhattan, would assume responsibility for budget negotiations.
Three other senior Democratic members — Carl E. Heastie of the Bronx, Catherine T. Nolan of Queens and Joseph R. Lentol of Brooklyn — will round out the leadership team.
In a statement issued around midnight, a spokesman for Mr. Silver, Michael Whyland, confirmed the broad outline of the arrangement.
“The speaker is not stepping down,†Mr. Whyland said. He added that Mr. Silver’s delegation of his responsibilities “will give him the flexibility he needs so that he can defend himself against these charges, and he is confident that he will be found innocent.â€
Mr. Silver, 70, who is from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is accused of abusing his office to obtain $4 million in payoffs. Federal prosecutors said he disguised his windfall by portraying it as legitimate income he earned working part time, ostensibly as a personal injury lawyer.
The charges against Mr. Silver threatened to throw the Capitol into turmoil because of the central role that he plays there. The speaker of the Assembly is one of Albany’s “three men in a room,†along with the governor and the State Senate majority leader, who make many of the most important decisions in state government.
The new leadership arrangement will be a startling change because of Mr. Silver’s longevity: As governors and other legislators have come and gone, Mr. Silver has remained firmly in place as speaker since 1994.
The deal for him to turn over his duties on a temporary basis came together late Sunday after hours of phone calls between Mr. Silver, his top aides and several Assembly members.
Mr. Morelle, in his capacity as majority leader, fielded a flood of calls from members, according to people involved in the discussions. He then relayed their views to Mr. Silver and others in the Assembly’s leadership as they mulled how to proceed.
Still, the proposal was immediately met with some resistance, and it remained to be seen whether some Democrats would be satisfied with Mr. Silver’s temporarily taking a back seat, rather than permanently giving up his post.
“This is a top-down approach,†said one Assembly member, who asked not to be identified, citing the continuing negotiations. “We weren’t consulted, and it’s wrong.â€
Mr. Silver himself will present the leadership arrangement to members when they meet privately on Monday, after which the members will discuss it.
The Monday session had been the subject of great anticipation over the weekend, as Assembly members discussed with one another how the situation might unfold, and considered who could succeed Mr. Silver. Some worried that the charges against him could taint all Assembly Democrats, hurting members when they seek re-election.
Some long-serving members, on the other hand, were concerned that Mr. Silver was being unfairly condemned before standing trial, and were wary about seeking his ouster before he had a chance to defend himself in court.
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