Monroe County’s director of planning and development became one of two women to accuse Governor Andrew Cuomo over the weekend of improper conduct.
Ana Liss was a former policy and operations aide to the governor from 2013 to 2015. In the Wall Street Journal, Liss told of being asked inappropriate questions by the governor, who also kissed her hand.
Karen Hinton, a former press aide to Governor Cuomo while he was in the Clinton Administration, told the Washington Post that the governor had called her to his hotel room and embraced her, pulling her back when she tried to pull away.
Members of the state senate and assembly from both sides of the aisle stepped up calls for Cuomo to resign as governor after these additional allegations. Cuomo said in a telephone briefing Sunday afternoon that he would not. Cuomo said that would deny the principals of due process and would take his fate out of the hands of New York voters. Cuomo said he’s focused on his job and waiting for the results of Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation.
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello released a statement supporting Ana Liss, saying:
Ana Liss has shown tremendous strength in speaking about her experiences and the emotional trauma that resulted from her time working for the Governor. She is a valued member of my team since joining Monroe County over a year ago. I support Ana fully, as well as the other courageous women coming forward to share their stories. Sexual harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and degrading or abusive behavior can never be tolerated, whether in the workplace or anywhere else. The tone for workplace culture is set at the top, and it is the responsibility of any leader to build a culture of respect and dignity for all persons, where all employees feel safe and know they are valued. We owe it to each of the women who have shared their experience to fully investigate their claims, and to expedite the investigation. The people of New York deserve nothing less.