Silver Racks Up Air Miles At Taxpayers’ Expense

How do you get from New York City to Albany? For most state lawmakers, the fastest and cheapest way is either by train or by car. For the Democratic speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, the answer is a drive to La Guardia, a shuttle to Washington, D.C., an hour of waiting, a flight to Albany, and then a drive from the airport to the Statehouse.Mr. Silver is one of the few state lawmakers from New York City to commute to Albany by air. His itinerary is probably the most circuitous. The speaker frequently takes indirect flights to the capital, with a stopover in Washington that’s 200 miles in the wrong direction.Depending on the connection delay, the trip can take more than four hours, not including the time it takes to get to the airport and pass through security. That’s about an hour longer than it takes by rail or car.Aides to Mr. Silver, whose airfare is reimbursed by taxpayers, declined to say how much the speaker generally pays for his tickets. A sampling of his reimbursement voucher forms from last year, which were provided by the state comptroller’s office, show the speaker paying in the range of $500 to $760 for round-trip airfare, more than four times the price of traveling on Amtrak.The speaker has accumulated so many miles — from his public, political, and personal travels — that he is an elite-level member of an exclusive frequent flier program, which rewards him with first-class upgrades.Mr. Silver’s preference for air travel — even when its convenience is questionable — is one of the lesser-known quirks of his long-held leadership. Many lawmakers appear not to be aware of the speaker’s unusual arrangements, and those who are say they do not know for sure why Mr. Silver eschews other modes of travel.When the speaker flies via Washington, the total travel time is usually about three and a half hours, state records indicate. In comparison, driving to Albany from Manhattan takes about two and a half hours in regular traffic conditions. An Amtrak ride to Albany is supposed to take two and a half hours but often clocks in at about three hours.The ground alternatives are considerably cheaper. Lawmakers who drive to the Statehouse are reimbursed by the state at a rate of 50 cents a mile, which comes to about $175, including tolls, for a round-trip with a starting point in Manhattan. Round-trip, governmental-rate Amtrak tickets come to a total of $110.US Airways, the speaker’s airline of choice, calculates frequent flier miles by the distance traveled, not the distance between origin and destination, according to a spokesman for the company. That means that Mr. Silver’s connection in Washington earns him about 1,000 miles a round trip.State records show that Mr. Silver is a “chairman’s preferred” member of US Airways’ frequent flier program, called “Dividend Miles.” One way to qualify for the status is to earn 100,000 miles within a calendar year.Thanks to his preferred status, Mr. Silver frequently flies first class. As a chairman’s preferred member, he is entitled to priority check-in and boarding, guaranteed seating, reserve choice seats, and first-class upgrades when they become available. “Life is better when you’re Preferred,” the US Airways Web site states.A spokesman for Mr. Silver said the speaker chooses flights that connect in Washington because US Airways, at times, does not offer nonstop flights that meet the speaker’s demanding schedule.“Speaker Silver generally uses commercial airlines to travel between New York City and Albany, because he has found that this is the easiest and most efficient way for him to make these trips,” a spokesman for Mr. Silver, Daniel Weiller, said in a statement. “At certain times in recent years there were few scheduled nonstop flights between New York City and Albany, so the Speaker has taken connecting flights.”Mr. Weiller said the speaker has not redeemed any frequent flier miles earned from these flights. Campaign finance records show that Mr. Silver is also earning additional miles when he flies for political purposes, such as attending fund-raisers.By law, nothing is stopping Mr. Silver, 64, from redeeming his miles for personal use now or when he leaves office. The legislative ethics commission, which is controlled by Mr. Silver and the Republican senate majority leader, Dean Skelos, does not have a policy governing the usage of frequent flier miles. “We have not been asked that question,” the executive director of the commission, Melissa Ryan, said.Why Mr. Silver avoids ground travel is not clear. Those close to the speaker say he doesn’t like traveling by train because there are too many distractions from other passengers, many of whom are lobbyists.Mr. Silver has a state-issued car and sometimes uses a driver. Aides to the speaker said having a driver chauffeur the speaker would be an added expense.A spokesman for Mr. Skelos said the Senate majority leader travels to Albany from his Long Island district base in a state-issued car usually driven by his wife, a long-time Senate staffer.The Assembly’s own guidelines discourage lawmakers from using air travel. The Assembly’s employee information guide, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Sun, states: “Air travel should be used only when it is clearly in the Assembly’s best interest to do so. When air travel is used, the most economical rate should be obtained, including super-saver fares whenever they are available.”A Democratic assemblyman, Brian Kavanagh, whose district lies near Mr. Silver’s, said he travels to Albany behind the wheel of a 2000 Toyota Corolla. “It’s not much harder to get to Albany than it is to get to the airport,” he said. “The main argument for driving is that it’s more reliable.”A Democratic assemblyman of Brooklyn, Joseph Lentol, said he also commutes by car. “It’s so inconvenient to fly because now in the days of security it takes you just as long to fly as it is to drive,” he said.

Silver Racks Up Air Miles At Taxpayers’ Expense

Silver Racks Up Air Miles At Taxpayers’ Expense

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