Where Upper East Side Lawmakers Stand On Andrew Cuomo's Scandals

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — After Attorney General Letitia James on Tuesday released her bombshell investigation into Gov. Andrew Cuomo's allegations of sexual harassment, speculation immediately turned to whether state lawmakers would try to hold the governor accountable.

On the Upper East Side, some officials who had previously been silent on the issue called for the governor to step down or be impeached. Others renewed their previous calls that he be removed from office.

Still others, meanwhile, did not immediately say anything about the 165-page report, which found that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women — breaking multiple laws in the process — and created a toxic work environment.

Impeachment proceedings against Cuomo would need to begin in the State Assembly, which is still conducting its own inquiry. Here's where Upper East Side officials stood as of Tuesday afternoon.

Called for impeachment or resignation

State Sen. Liz Krueger — likely the East Side's most powerful official in Albany — tweeted that Cuomo "must resign" and that her colleagues should impeach him "as swiftly as possible" if he does not step down. Previously, she had only called for resignation.

If he does not resign, he must be impeached as swiftly as possible.
— Senator Liz Krueger (@LizKrueger) August 3, 2021

Assemblymember Dan Quart previously called on Cuomo to step down, but had no immediate updates on Tuesday. State Sen. José M. Serrano, too, said Cuomo should resign in March, but did not issue any updates.

City Councilmember Ben Kallos, a harsh critic of the governor's, said Cuomo "should have resigned in March" and called on state lawmakers to impeach him. Fellow Councilmember Keith Powers said the report has "only strengthened my position from March that he must resign," but did not mention impeachment.

Julie Menin, the Democratic nominee for City Council in the Upper East Side's District 5, tweeted that Cuomo "betrayed the trust of the public." She called on him to resign or be impeached — seemingly the first time Menin has made such a demand.

Stopping short

Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright resisted calls for either impeachment or resignation. In a statement shared with Patch, Seawright said the attorney general's report "substantiates and corroborates" the earlier accusations against Cuomo, adding that she commended the women who shared their experiences with investigators.

"They have come forward at great personal risk to share their experience of humiliation and hostility in the workplace," Seawright said.

Seawright said she would "refrain from further comment," noting her membership on the Judiciary Committee, which is investigating the governor. (Several other committee members have said the governor should resign.)

In March, Seawright joined a number of other women in the State Assembly in calling for an independent investigation into the allegations against Cuomo.

The results of @NewYorkStateAG report couldn’t be more clear. @NYGovCuomo betrayed the trust of the public and created a hostile work environment that enabled harrassment of women. He should resign or be impeached. Thank you to the brave women who came forward.
— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) August 3, 2021