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Call it the anti-Silver Super PAC.
A political campaign is being launched to force out Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver over his handling of Brooklyn Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s sexual-harassment scandal, The Post has learned.
A not-for-profit advocacy group called Americans for Real Change will bankroll the anti-Silver effort before Democrats vote to elect a new speaker in January. It plans to raise as much as $1.5 million to promote Silver’s ouster.
The group is headed by GOP consultant Jake Menges, a top adviser to Rudy Giuliani. Another officer of Americans for Real Change is Vincent Balascio — who worked for former Gov. George Pataki, who often tangled with Silver. “We’re going to educate the public about this scandal,” Menges said.
“It’s outrageous that Sheldon Silver would cover up sexual harassment by an Assembly member.”
“We’re going to pressure Assembly members not to vote for Silver as speaker.”
Menges was referring to Silver’s controversial decision to approve a $103,080 confidential payment to settle sexual-harassment claims leveled against Lopez by two female Assembly staffers.
While defending the settlement, Silver didn’t refer those harassment cases to the Assembly Ethics Committee, which he later admitted was a mistake.
Silver censured Lopez and stripped the Brooklyn assemblyman of his leadership positions after a separate ethics probe substantiated allegations that Lopez groped two other Assembly staffers.
The furor led Lopez, arguably Brooklyn’s most powerful political leader, to step down as the county’s Democratic chairman. But he has resisted calls to resign from his Assembly seat, insisting he’s innocent of the harassment charges.
The state Joint Committee on Public Ethics and Staten Island DA Dan Donovan are probing Lopez’s action and Silver’s handling of the case.
Silver, in office since 1977, was first elected as speaker in 1994, and is the longest-serving leader of the Assembly.
Americans for Real Change also will demand that Democratic candidates running for mayor next year — who claim to support women’s rights and to oppose harassment — take a stand on whether Silver should return as speaker, Menges said.
“Who’s waging the ‘War on Women?’” Menges asked, sarcastically referring to a phrase often invoked by President Obama and Democrats to demonize Republicans.
“Sheldon is the boss of the New York state Assembly. If this happened in his law firm, it would be unacceptable. It’s unacceptable what women have to go through to work in the New York state Assembly.”
Silver, whose lower Manhattan district was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, brushed off the campaign.
“The speaker is focused on providing relief for the people of his lower Manhattan . . . district and all impacted neighborhoods across the state, making sure they have adequate shelter, warm blankets, and access to food and water,” said Silver spokesman Michael Whyland.