Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver has told the Downtown Express, a paper that circulates in his Lower Manhattan district, that he actually supports congestion pricing -- but that doesn't mean it'll pass:
“Personally, I probably would [vote for it], but as it stands right now I’d be in the minority.”
This could mean many things. It could mean Silver will get behind it if a few changes are made. It could be taken as a signal by fence-sitters in the Assembly, thus improving prospects without any actual expenditure of political capital. Or it could mean that Silver, facing a primary in his district, wants to go on record as favoring a plan that has support in Manhattan, but won't do anything to make it happen.
Primary opponent Paul Newell: “Since no bill that has been brought to the Assembly floor since 1988 has ever been defeated, I’m not convinced the speaker can’t get this bill passed.”