Message from Liz...
Recent revelations regarding multiple cases of sexual harassment by Assemblymember Vito Lopez have once again highlighted how far we still have to go to achieve real reform in Albany. Assemblymember Lopez's harassment and abuse of his staff, as cited in the Assembly Ethics report, is a shameful disgrace, and I find reports of confidential taxpayer-funded settlement payouts to some of the victims of that harassment deeply troubling. Too many of my colleagues forget that serving as an elected official is a privilege and fail to live up to the basic legal and ethical standards that should be a bare minimum for anyone in public service, let alone elected officials.
Speaker Silver says he made mistakes in the handling of charges against Vito Lopez. I agree with him, and I'm glad he's recognized that. Now action must be taken to ensure these events are not repeated.
Both houses and the Executive Chamber must work together to establish public, written, sensible protocols for the handling of harassment complaints by employees and interns. I invite every single one of my colleagues, on both sides of both houses, to join me in demanding action from both leaders and the governor.
I am sick from these scandals -- sexual harassment, stealing public money, pay-to-play contributions in exchange for legislation. New Yorkers are sick of it. Frankly, anyone who serves in Albany should be sick of it too -- and if they're not, they should leave.
We want a society where the best and brightest select public service, not one where parents urge their children to run in the other direction. Those of us who run for office or work in government agencies have an added duty to uphold the highest standards for the treatment of others. We are supposed to be role models, not vultures who believe ourselves above the law.
It appears that there will be full investigations, between the appointment of a special prosecutor and an announced investigation by the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE), and we may learn much more about what actually happened in this case and in previous cases. Too often, it takes a scandal in Albany to bring about any kind of positive movement for reform.
I know I will be pointing to the events of recent days as I continue to advocate for change in Albany.