The head of the state chapter of the National Organization for Women called for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver’s head yesterday over his handling of the Vito Lopez sexual-harassment scandal.
Asked if she wants the powerful Democrat to resign, Zenaida Mendez told The Post, “I sure do.”
She cited reports that Silver had a damning e-mail pulled from a state ethics panel’s report on ex-Assemblyman Lopez’s alleged sexual harassment of eight female staffers.
“If those pages were omitted because they implicate the speaker, I think that’s enough reason for him to step down,” she said.
Mendez blasted Silver hours after NOW’s city chapter president, Sonia Ossorio, gave him a pass.
Ossorio said she is working with Silver on passing a legislative package to further women’s rights.
But Mendez said, “Every chapter [in the state] knows that he should step down. We want everyone to be able to work in a place without any harassment.”
Silver, meanwhile, said his members believe the media is unfairly attacking him.
He signed off on a secret $103,080 settlement with two of Lopez’s accusers and didn’t report the allegations to the Assembly Ethics Committee. Lopez went on to abuse other female staffers, the state report said.
Additional reporting by Beth DeFalco