State Senator Michelle Hinchey and Ulster County Executive Ryan
Two local Democratic elected officials have added their voices to the growing number of state and local elected officials calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign in the wake of sexual harassment allegations from multiple women.
State Senator Michelle Hinchey, 46th District, posted a statement to her website March 10 that reads in part:
One resignation will not change the deeply systemic issues we have in our society. It will not eliminate the pervasive culture of misogyny, toxicity, and fear that we’ve seen perpetuated time and again. But, it is a start.
In light of these allegations, coupled with the deliberate mishandling and withholding of information, I believe it is in the best interest of the people of New York for the Governor to resign.”
Then today, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan released the following statement:
“New Yorkers must have full trust and confidence in our leaders, especially at such a critical point in our pandemic response. Governor Andrew Cuomo has fundamentally broken the public trust — violating and harassing his staff, misleading those he was elected to serve, and repeatedly putting politics ahead of the public good. Governor Cuomo should do the right thing and resign, enabling our state to begin to heal and move forward. I have full confidence in the integrity and steady leadership of Lieutenant Governor Hochul to guide us through this turbulent period.”
Cuomo speaking in Poughkeepsie in July 2018.
So far, most of the calls to resign or for impeachment have been Republicans, including 102nd District Assemblyman Chris Tague and 42nd District State Senator Mike Martucci, who also mention the governor’s manipulation of state data on nursing home deaths during the opening months of the pandemic in addition to the sexual harassment charges.
Another local Democrat, 39th District State Senator James Skoufis, has called for Cuomo’s resignation and said he would vote to convict if an impeachment were brought to the senate.
Cuomo faces allegations from six women, ranging from inappropriate language to groping. He has said he would cooperate with any investigation but has refused calls to step down. State Attorney General Letitia James opened an independent investigation into the claims February 28.
Where is Kevin Cahill on Cuomo resigning, since he was such a Shelly Silver supporter (follower).
Why did nobody ask him to resign after murdering 15K people in nursing homes?
Where is Cahill on this issue. Silent
Who are the Republician candidates in the city of Kingston, or are the Republicans giving the City Democrats free passes.
Politicians calling for Cuomo to resign is underwhelming. One side does it because it’s an opportunity to take down a Democratic governor, and the other side does it so the they don’t appear to condone his behavior, even though they have for many years. All parties have known for years that this governor is a political tyrant and a sexual harasser (although each conveniently will be able to deny it), and have been more than willing to overlook it. Now that a handful of truly courageous women have risked all to speak out, the politicians are safe to make empty public statements as if they just discovered what kind of man Cuomo is.
What I would love to see is systemic change that leads to the disqualification of politicians that show clear early signs of misogyny, dishonestly, and insane hunger for power over common good. How a man like Cuomo ends up governor (or Donald Trump president) is a systemic problem that both political parties perpetuate. This is not the first criminal or creep that either party has raised to the heights of power in New York.
Men in power, stop sexually harassing people in the workplace. Why is that so hard to do? The answer lies in systems of accountability that those in power must create, not in routinely putting all the burden on victims to risk ruining their lives by speaking out. But we need politicians that truly believe that things need to change and have the courage to pass systemic-changing legislation. Most women are more than ready. So, men, are you ready?