Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, criticized for his mishandling of the Vito Lopez sexual-harassment scandal, is ready to give an accused-perv Buffalo-area legislator the boot.
Silver joined Gov. Cuomo and several state Democratic leaders in calling for Assemblyman Dennis Gabryszak to resign if the reports he harassed three of his staffers are borne out.
“If the allegations are true, there should be no other choice but a resignation,” Silver said Monday.
Gabryszak made dozens of comments that made his staffers uncomfortable — including telling his former spokeswoman that he was more of a “butt” guy than a “boobs” guy, inviting her to sleep in his hotel room, and bragging about a tattoo on his penis, according to a complaint filed by three of his former employees Friday.
But Silver stopped short of blaming the culture of the Capitol, where three Assembly Democrats have been the subject of multiple complaints of creating a hostile work environment — including former Brooklyn Democratic boss Lopez, who was forced to resign last year.
Two former Lopez staffers sued Silver for allegedly quashing earlier harassment complaints against the ex-Brooklyn assemblyman. Silver has moved to dismiss the case.