Women in sex harassment cases seek open process outside budget
ALBANY — Six women who were staff members of former state legislators accused of sexual harassment are urging Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders not to rush their proposals to combat the abuse into the state budget due by April 1.
They are seeking a more public process that includes input from those who have experienced sexual harassment, advocates and experts in the field. Currently, Cuomo and legislative leaders are negotiating a bill behind closed doors against a budget deadline without any female legislators at the table.
The letter from staffers who said they were victims of sexual harassment or reported it said some of the bills now being negotiated “cut back on the rights of workers, instead of increasing protections. Lawmakers should not rush through bills as part of the budget supposedly in the name of standing up for survivors — that’s not progress, it’s a pat on the back.”
The six women include three who had worked for former Brooklyn Assemb. Vito Lopez, a Democrat who resigned in 2013 just before a vote in the Assembly to expel him. Lopez was accused of multiple incidents of sexual abuse by at least eight women on his staff. He denied the charges. Lopez died in 2015.
Lopez’s former chief of staff, Leah Hebert; his former legislative counsel, Rita Pasarell; and a former legislative aide, Tori Burhans Kelly signed the letter.
“We have come together for the first time to raise our collective voice as people who have experienced and/or reported sexual harassment in the New York State Legislature,” the letter stated.
“These important civil rights issues should be resolved outside of the budget, as part of the normal legislative process, by the end of session,” the women said. “Survivors and workers deserve a true reckoning with the injustices that we, and others like us, have experienced.”
They promise more details on their recommendations in coming weeks. The legislative session doesn’t end until late June, but Cuomo has included the sexual harassment issue in the budget where under state law he has extraordinary leverage in negotiations.
There was no immediate comment from Cuomo or legislative leaders.
Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.
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