Third former assistant to Andrew Cuomo describes inappropriate treatment in the workplace

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Liss said he initially perceived Cuomo’s conduct as harmless flirtation. Over time, she said, she came to see it as patronizing and added that it reduced her from an educated professional to “just a skirt”.

“It is not really appropriate in any environment,” she said.

In response to questions about Liss, Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser from Cuomo said on Saturday: “Reporters and photographers covered the governor for 14 years, watching him kiss men and women and pose for pictures. At the mansion’s public reception, there are hundreds of people and he poses for hundreds of photos. This is what people in politics do ”.

In his last public appearance on Wednesday, Cuomo said that this behavior was customary for him.

“I understand that sensitivities have changed and behavior has changed, and I understand. And I will learn from that, ”he said.

Ms. Liss is the third former aide to accuse Cuomo of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The other two former advisers said he had sexually harassed them. Mr. Cuomo apologized for disturbing people. He said he never touched anyone inappropriately.

“It was not intentional and I really and deeply apologize for that,” he said on Wednesday. “I feel bad about it and, frankly, I’m ashamed.”

Ms. Liss and other current and former government officials said that the governor regularly asked them about their love lives, touched them and commented on their physical appearance. Former officials told some women that they should wear high heels when the governor was in Albany, according to Liss and other former employees. Azzopardi said that no one is required to wear high heels.

The Journal spoke to more than 30 employees who work or have worked for Cuomo during his 10 years as governor. All of these employees, who include current and former agency heads, described a high-pressure environment in which seven-day workweeks were commonplace.

Several people described the work environment as toxic. Many former employees recalled the governor’s actions in a more compelling way. Once, on Valentine’s Day, Cuomo had roses delivered to the employees, they said. Two women who received the flowers said they appreciated the gesture.

When asked about criticisms of working conditions, Azzopardi said: “The people of this state have elected the governor to represent them four times during the past 14 years and know that he works day and night for them. There is no secret that these jobs are difficult and the work is demanding, but we have a high level team with many employees who have been here for years and many others who left and returned. “

A former aide, Charlotte Bennett, 25, recently said that Cuomo asked about her sex life and whether she had relationships with older men.

Another former adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a Medium post on February 24 that Cuomo tried to kiss her on the mouth in her office and, during a flight on her plane in 2017, suggested that they play strip poker. A spokeswoman for Cuomo said Boylan’s accusations were false.

The governor is facing increasing pressure because of the charges, as well as the state’s handling of Covid-19 in nursing homes. State Attorney General Letitia James is overseeing an investigation into Mses’ allegations. Bennett and Boylan. Federal prosecutors are interested in how the governor’s top advisers pushed to amend a Department of Health report to include a lower death count at these facilities, people familiar with the matter said.

Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats have called for Cuomo’s resignation or impeachment, but Democratic state lawmakers are resisting until James’s review is complete.

Mrs. Liss said she decided to perform after Mses. Bennett and Boylan accused Cuomo of sexual harassment. Ms. Liss said the governor’s response to the accusations was inadequate.

Ms. Liss won a competitive scholarship in 2013 and joined Mr. Cuomo’s team to work on economic development programs. She already had a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and worked for a business development company in Rochester. She said she was proud of her role on the Executive Board, but was dismayed that the governor never asked her about her job, focusing on personal issues or her appearance.

Ms. Liss remembers working at a reception on May 6, 2014 at the Executive Mansion in Albany, which is Mr. Cuomo’s official residence. Mr. Cuomo was in a living room on the north side of the mansion’s first floor and noticed Mrs. Liss, she recalled.

“He came right up to me and said, ‘Hey, honey!’”, She said.

She said the governor hugged her, kissed her on both cheeks, then wrapped an arm around her back and grabbed her waist. They turned to a photographer, who took a photo showing Mr. Cuomo’s hand around her waist.

In Medium’s post, Ms. Boylan described a similar meeting with the governor at a January 6, 2016 event at Madison Square Garden. She said that Cuomo stopped to speak to her after a speech, and she was soon informed by her boss that the governor had a crush on her.

“It was an uncomfortable feeling, but very familiar: the struggle to be taken seriously by a powerful man who linked my value to my body and my appearance,” wrote Boylan.

Ms. Liss said she never made a formal complaint about the behavior of the governor or anyone else. She said she ended up asking for a transfer to another office.

Ms. Liss said that her work experience for the governor led her to start mental health counseling in 2014. She said she drank a lot that year and left the Executive Board in 2015 to take a position at Cornell University as a relations manager. corporate. Ms. Liss now serves as director of the Monroe County Planning and Development Department in upstate New York.

The Journal interviewed two other members of the Empire State Fellows, who said they observed Mrs. Liss drinking heavily and skipping social engagements when she worked for the governor.

Peter Walke, a colleague who now serves as Vermont’s commissioner of environmental preservation, said in a recent interview that he noticed that Liss has become more withdrawn over time.

After Mses. Boylan and Bennett, Mr. Walke contacted Ms. Liss. She told him of her own experiences, said Walke.

Ms. Liss said she was proud of the work she did during her time in Albany and still keeps that photo of her and Mr. Cuomo in reception at her office. It supports the policies he enacted.

“I just wanted to – I wanted him to take me seriously,” she said.

—Leslie Brody and Jim Oberman contributed to this article.

Write to Jimmy Vielkind at [email protected], Deanna Paul at [email protected] and Khadeeja Safdar at [email protected]