New York government is looking different in the year since former Gov. Andrew Cuomo left office after a decade at the helm, with leaders continuing to push for a new era of transparency and accountability.
But activists say it will take much more political courage to see real change in Albany.
“Andrew positioned himself as someone who never backed down, even when he was wrong,” said Erica Vladimer, co-founder of the Sexual Harassment Task Force. “… It felt like a small victory in the moment, but we also know it’s a symptom of a systemic problem.”
On August 10, 2021, Cuomo announced his two-week notice that he would resign from office after an investigation by Attorney General Letitia James’ office concluded that he sexually harassed several women.
“The best way I can help now is if I stand by and let the government govern again, and so that’s what I’m going to do,” he said during a live address on the day he announced his resignation . “Because I work for you and doing the right thing is doing the right thing for you.”
State and national leaders immediately called for Cuomo’s resignation after independent prosecutors hired by the state attorney general’s office concluded that he sexually harassed several women.
One accused him of sexual assault. Cuomo was not criminally charged and has denied any wrongdoing.
Vladimir said the former governor’s departure is a small step toward changing the deep-rooted toxic culture in Albany and the state Legislature.
Recent changes to the state ethics watchdog and a push for state Senate staffers to unionize could lead to effective changes in the accountability of elected officials.
Vladimer, a former Senate staffer who suffered sexual harassment, says he might have stayed in public service if he had had a union to turn to for help.
“I think this is going to be incredibly useful for staff in the future against all kinds of damage,” he said. “I think having a union will help empower employees who have been wronged to come forward because they know they’ll have an entity behind them.
“…Senate staff is human resources, and we know that human resources is not there to protect the staff, but to protect the institution that created them,” he added. “I didn’t have anybody that was automatically in my corner just because of the same role that I take on as an employee.”
Senate Democratic spokesman Mike Murphy said Senate leaders have received the letter from employees working to organize a union.
“The Senate staff has done a tremendous amount of work in an unprecedented amount of time and is an incredible asset to the entire state,” Murphy said Wednesday. “Obviously, this process is just beginning and we will continue these crucial discussions as the process moves forward.”
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s office did not respond to requests for comment about which Assembly staff members might follow suit or whether they would support a similar effort.
This time last year, a concurrent impeachment inquiry by the state Assembly Judiciary Committee was also about to move forward. Cuomo avoided impeachment with his two-week notice, making Gov. Kathy Hochul the first woman to hold New York’s highest office on Aug. 24.
Getting off without further consequences shows that a culture of lack of accountability remains prevalent in the operations of the state legislature, Vladimer said.
“He was able to voluntarily quit his job by giving two weeks’ notice, that’s not liability,” Vladimer said. “So even though we removed an abuser from being in a very powerful position where they can use their power to hurt people, especially employees, he was not held accountable for his actions.”
Cuomo apologized for making people uncomfortable, but was adamant he did nothing wrong.
The former governor and his lawyer continue to allege that the attorney general’s report contains errors and omits evidence, and suggest that the investigation was politically motivated.
Representatives from Gov. Hochul’s office did not respond to requests for comment about the changes in Albany since his predecessor stepped down.
