Silver gov’t lawyer quits

Ignored harass complaint

A top lawyer for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is being forced out after failing to investigate a sexharassment claim filed against an Assembly member.

Bill Collins — who helped negotiate the muchcriticized $103,080 settlement to get rid of sexharassment claims against Vito Lopez — failed to act on a staff complaint against Upper East Side Assemblyman Micah Kellner in 2009, a Silver spokesman said.

Kellner — who ironically had been critical of Silver’s approval of the Lopez settlement — is accused of making inappropriate and sexually suggestive remarks to a young female staffer during online chats.

Silver said he became aware of the accusation against Kellner only last month, and referred the matter to the Assembly Ethics Committee. He said he learned of the complaint from Assemblywoman Debra Glick (DManhattan).

“Speaker Silver was not informed by Bill Collins about this matter at the time and he felt the matter should have been handled differently,” said Silver spokesman Michael Whyland. “The speaker has had a conversation with Mr. Collins and he [Collins] will be leaving the Assembly employ.”

Collins has been with the Assembly for 15 years.

In the chats, Kellner reportedly told the woman, in her late 20s, that she was “cute during the interview.” He said didn’t want her to have a boyfriend because he wanted to be “the only man in your life” and told her “don’t cheat on me.”

“I wouldn’t mind falling asleep with you — but not remotely,” Kellner wrote. “Did I offend?”

The stunning, fouryear inaction on the racy transcripts will stir more outcry that the Assembly culture has covered up harassment claims under Silver’s watch — and possibly put more pressure on him to step down. Silver admitted he mishandled initial harassment claims against Lopez.

The married Kellner last night put out a statement apologizing.

“Over four years ago, for a few weeks while I was still single, I exchanged instant messages with a female member of my staff that were flirtatious. It was inappropriate,” he said.

“I was wrong and it was stupid . . . I was sorry then and am sorry now.”

Under new rules implemented in May, Silver said all sexharassment complaints will be handled solely by “independent counsel” assigned to the bipartisan Assembly Ethics Committee, not the speaker’s staff.