Governor Andrew Cuomo weighed in on news that an upstate Assemblyman has been accused of terrorizing female staffers by sending them videos of him receiving oral sex and telling one he gets a "boner" when he sees her. The governor said, "If it’s true, I think he should resign. It’s up to him, but my opinion is he should resign."
Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak
A lawyer for Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak, a Buffalo area lawmaker who is married and has children, said that he advised the Democrat not to make a statement. So all that is known are the claims from staffers Annalise Freling, Jamie Campbell and Kimberly Snickles, who said the abuse occurred between 2011 and 2013. Gabryszak allegedly told Freling, "I got a boner when I walked into the office today when I saw you," and "You’re so hot, you know what I want to do with you." Freling also says she received a video him receiving or pretending to receive oral sex.
Snickles, 26, was allegedly told that he was "more of a ‘butt’ guy than a ‘boobs’ guy." In a statement, Snickles wrote, "I really wanted to contact Speaker Sheldon Silver and tell him. But with all of the Vito Lopez cover-ups that actually surfaced on my first day of work I did not think there would be any recourse"—because Silver settled sexual harassment claims agains the ex-Brooklyn Assemblyman (who asked female staffers to touch his tumor in addition to groping them). A letter from their lawyer to Silver says:
His actions created such a hostile and offensive workplace environment that all three women were forced to resign from their employment. Assemblyman Gabryszak's conduct was so severe, persistent and pervasive that it rose to the level of sexual harassment. In addition to his direct behavior toward the women, the married man of 37 years was continuously subjecting them, against their will, to stories of his escapades with prostitutes, strip clubs, affairs with Assemblywomen and massages with "happy endings." The three women, who are all young enough to be Assemblyman Gabryszak's daughters, were so upset with his behavior that they had no alternative than to walk away from their jobs, losing income, health insurance and other employment benefits and they suffered emotional injuries as well.
Silver's spokesperson Michael Whyland said, "The Assembly is committed to a safe and respectful work environment for all its employees and we take all allegations very seriously."
Cuomo, who was delivering toys to children yesterday in different NY cities including Buffalo, added, "These are allegations—and I emphasize allegations. Because these allegations may be the subject of a lawsuit, if they intend to go forward, I have instructed Assembly member Gabryszak that he cannot respond specifically to the allegations, but we will deal with them in the course of litigation."
Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who was with Cuomo at the event, said, “I think there’s a culture in America that’s degrading to women … I don’t think it’s just Albany, I don’t think it’s just New York State.”
