Albis: Mayor Maturo Needs To Take A “Hard Look” at the Future

EAST HAVEN, CT - East Haven State Representative James Albis has stopped short of doing what many others are doing, calling on Mayor Joseph Maturo, Jr. to resign in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment against the mayor.

But Albis, who is a Democrat while Maturo is a Republican, did say he thinks Maturo “needs to take a hard look at the circumstances and make a decision about his future.”

Albis was one of those in attendance at a press conference at East Haven Town Hall on Friday where Democratic Town Chairman Marc Conte, among others, called on Maturo to step down from his office.

The calls for Maturo’s resignation have come in the wake of a sex harassment lawsuit filed by a former East Haven employee against Maturo being settled for $175,000 plus lifetime medical benefits for her and her husband - right before the start of the trial last week.

Also, Patch reported last week that a second East Haven woman was prepared to testify at that trial that she, too, was harassed by Maturo.

Albis, again didn’t call on Maturo to resign, but did refer to two recent sexual harassment cases involving Connecticut politicians. “I suggest the mayor consider what happened in the cases of Rep. Arce and Elizabeth Esty,” Maturo said, among other instances of high profiled politicians and celebrities being cited for sex harassment.

Rep. Angel Arce of Hartford resigned from the state House of Representatives, of which Albis is a member, earlier this year after reports surfaced of him texting inappropriately affection comments to a then 16-year-old girl.

And Congresswoman Esty, who was a vocal champion of the #MeToo movement, decided she wouldn’t seek reelection after reports surfaced that she let a former chief of staff stay on for months after discovering allegations he had harassed, abused, and threatened a female staffer.

Photo of James Albis