ALBANY — Taxpayers forked over more than $100,000 for an apparent settlement of sexual-harassment charges against embattled Brooklyn Democratic leader and Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
Assembly officials yesterday released a copy of a pay voucher for $103,080 for a “legal services — settlement” issued on June 6 with the names of the payee covered over.
Michael Whyland, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan), said he couldn’t confirm the payment was connected to allegations against Lopez, but it was the only such payment this year.
Silver last week stripped Lopez of most of his power following a finding in a separate case by the Assembly Ethics Committee that Lopez had groped and harassed other young female staffers.
“The only instance in which a complaint would not be handled by the ethics committee would be if a victim insisted, for reasons of personal privacy, that it not go before the committee,” Whyland said.
Weekend published reports said that Assembly leaders had negotiated a settlement with another legislative staffer alleging sexual harassment by Lopez this year, before the latest women stepped forward, but that she negotiated a settlement instead of filing charges.
Government-reform groups ripped the use of public money to settle sexual-harassment claims against Lopez.
“It’s mind-boggling that taxpayer funds are used to sweep aside the actions of a public official,” said Citizen Union’s Dick Dadey. “It’s the last thing taxpayers think they would be paying for.”
Common Cause New York’s Susan Lerner called on the state’s new ethics watchdog agency to investigate.
“Even though it’s required by law, it’s very upsetting to see taxpayer money going to protect somebody who behaves this way on more than one occasion,” Lerner said.
Gov. Cuomo noted that danced around the propriety ofusing public funds to pay for paying for politicians’ misdeeds — such as a state driver’s negligence — ““That happens all the time.”
“I don’t know that we have enough facts or information to come to any conclusion on what the Assembly did or didn’t do,” he added.
Meantime, Lopez said yesterday he would run for re-election and will not step down as Brooklyn party leader.
“The charges made against me are unfair and untrue,” he said.
Additional reporting by Sally Goldenberg