A divide exists among Assembly Democrats over how to address Monday's verdict against Former Speaker Sheldon Silver. The split is similar to what surfaced earlier this year when members were looking to choose a new speaker. Some are eager to preserve the institution, others are eager to do things differently as Zack Fink reports.

For those who came of age serving with Sheldon Silver, a fixture in the Assembly for nearly 40 years, Monday's verdict was heartbreaking.

"It's kind of a sad day for the institution because this isn't the first time that a member of the Assembly, let alone the Speaker, has been convicted of some crimes," said Brooklyn Assemblyman Joe Lentol. "And it's troubling."

Silver served for 20 years as Speaker, and many say he ruled the chamber with an iron fist, rewarding those who agreed with him, and punishing those who did not. Some of his loyalists found the prosecution that led to his conviction overzealous.

"I thought that there was some overreaching," Lentol said. "But in the end the jury rendered its verdict and we have to abide by it."

The Assembly Democrats also have handful of younger members who consider themselves reformers. They are eager to turn the page on the Silver era.

"I think what it primarily means is that we can finally move on from a lot of the noise that has encompassed us," said Bronx Assemblyman Michael Blake. "When I am going into conversations and people are saying there is a culture of corruption in Albany — no, that's not true. That's not a fair indication of everyone."

Republicans have said for years that part of the problem in the Assembly was the climate Silver fostered.

"It's a sense of arrogance and power that, hey, we are in charge," said Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb. "We get to go in the room with the Governor. We've got to make these decisions and we're going to be the negotiators."

Democrats have proposed little in the way of new ethics reform proposals. Speaker Carl Heastie, who declined to comment on camera, has said there is not much more they can do legislatively.

Last session the legislature voted on series ethics reforms including pension forfeiture, which basically means elected officials convicted of a crime will lose their state pension. The Senate voted for it, but the Assembly postponed the vote at the last minute, and never rescheduled. That means that Silver would currently receive his state pension because of the Assembly's failure to act.