A Second Democrat Calls for Silver to Resign

John Marshall Mantel for The New York Times Inez D. Barron

ALBANY - And then there were two.

In another microfracture in the support for the Assembly speaker, Sheldon Silver, a second Democrat - Assemblywoman Inez D. Barron of Brooklyn - has called for his resignation over his handling of the case of Vito Lopez, the disgraced former assemblyman who is accused of sexually harassing staff members.

Ms. Barron, a critic of Mr. Silver, is the first Democratic woman to call for the speaker’s resignation. Assemblyman Michael Kearns, a Buffalo Democrat, is the only other Democratic assembly member to call for Mr. Silver’s resignation; Mr. Kearns subsequently left the Democratic caucus.

Ms. Barron made her opinion known in a little-noticed letter to the speaker last week, in which she attacked Mr. Silver for “an unacceptable attempt to cover up the allegations of sexual harassment” of Mr. Lopez’s staff members, including secret payments to two women who had also accused the former assemblyman.

In doing so, Ms. Barron said the speaker had “jeopardized the safety of and the respect for female employees.”

The letter, distributed in a news release, was dated May 23, just before a five-day legislative break for Memorial Day, and was largely unnoticed until the Assembly returned to work on Wednesday. The Daily News published an item on Ms. Barron’s letter Wednesday.

In a phone interview, Ms. Barron said she had decided to write and distribute the letter to call attention to “a very stark instance” of the lawmakers not following the law.

“None of us is perfect,” said Ms. Barron, whose name has been mentioned as a possible New York City Council candidate for a seat currently held by her husband, Charles. “But we should adhere to the policies we set.”

Mike Whyland, a spokesman for Mr. Silver, seemed unsurprised by Ms. Barron’s split with the speaker.

“She didn’t vote for him in January,” said Mr. Whyland, referring to the Assembly Democrats’ vote for their leaders. “And doesn’t support him as speaker.”

Nor did Ms. Barron seem to think that her letter was the beginning of a groundswell of opposition to Mr. Silver. “I haven’t heard any of my colleagues speaking on that issue,” she said.