ALBANY — Shelly’s mad as hell, and he isn’t gonna take it anymore.
Stepping into the power vacuum left by a weak governor, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told The Post yesterday that he and the rest of the Assembly will get out of Dodge next week unless the feuding clowns in the Senate get their act together.
“At this point, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to stay,” said Silver (D-Manhattan).
“If there’s anything to come back for, obviously our members are on call all year around, but at this point, there doesn’t seem to be.”
The move puts new pressure on senators to clean their house after last week’s historic Republican-backed coup and the paralysis that has gripped the Legislature in its wake.
If the Senate stays on alone after the scheduled June 23 recess, it has two choices: Accept the overwhelmingly Democratic Assembly’s version of several major pieces of legislation — or vote no and leave the laws in limbo, creating chaos.
Silver’s deadline defies both Democratic Gov. Paterson, who Thursday called on lawmakers to extend the session, and turncoat Democrat Pedro Espada Jr. of The Bronx, who has said the Senate will need more time to consider crucial legislation after the shakeup that installed him as the chamber’s president.
It’s the latest sign that Silver hopes to fill the political void crippling Albany as Paterson’s popularity languishes at historic lows and the 62-seat Senate faces a nightmare future of 31-31 partisan gridlock.
“We have no direction right now, we have no idea what’s happening,” Silver said. “If the Senate gets straightened out, then that’s fine.”
Deadlines are fast approaching on several big-ticket issues, including renewal of the city’s school-governance plan, which expires June 30, and Mayor Bloomberg’s request for a ½ percent sales-tax hike, which he needs by July 1 to balance the city budget.
As the Senate ground to a halt last week, Silver’s Assembly passed 129 bills and spent nearly 16 hours in session.
Meanwhile, 11 black Assembly Democrats called on Espada and his fellow turncoat, Sen. Hiram Monserrate of Queens, to return to the party in a harshly worded letter.
“The decision to join forces with a conservative, reactionary conference that has consistently undermined the interests of communities of color, both black and Latino, is deeply troubling,” reads the letter, whose signers include Assemblyman Keith Wright of Harlem and Assemblyman Darryl Towns of Brooklyn.
“We encourage you to strongly consider the consequences of your actions.”
Neither Espada nor Monserrate could be reached for comment.
All eyes today will be on Albany’s Supreme Court, where a judge’s ruling on a suit brought by deposed Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens) to undo last week’s coup could dramatically impact the battle for the chamber.
A win would give Smith hope for either retaining his leadership post or negotiating some kind of power-sharing deal with Espada and his Republican co-conspirators.
“We’re going to wait and see what the court says,” Smith told reporters yesterday. “We go to court, and we’ll figure out what happens after that.”
Republicans claim a loss for Smith would draw more Democrats into their coalition in time for a scheduled 3 p.m. session.
“I think it’s over [today],” said Sen. Martin Golden (R-Brooklyn). “If the courts don’t take the case, I think you’ll see some changes. I expect Monserrate to be on the floor. I expect other Democrats to be on the floor as well.”
Additional reporting by Sally Goldenberg