Third former Andrew Cuomo assistant describes inappropriate treatment in the workplace

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Ms. Liss said she initially saw Mr. Cuomo’s behavior as harmless flirtation. Over time, she said, she has come to regard it as patronizing, adding that it has reduced the hair of a skilled professional to “ just a skirt. ”

“It’s not really appropriate in any setting,” she said.

In response to questions about Ms. Liss, Rich Azzopardi, a senior adviser to Mr. Cuomo said Saturday: “Reporters and photographers reported on the governor for 14 years as he watched him kiss men and women and pose for photos. At the public reception of the open house there are hundreds of people, and he poses for hundreds of photos. That’s what people do in politics. “

At his last public appearance on Wednesday, Mr Cuomo said this behavior was common for him.

“I understand that the sensitivities have changed and the behavior has changed, and I get it. And I’m going to learn from it, ”he said.

Ms. Liss is the third former female assistant to accuse Mr. Cuomo of inappropriate behavior in the workplace. The two other former assistants have said he sexually harassed them. Mr. Cuomo has apologized for making people uncomfortable. He has said that he has never touched anyone inappropriately.

“It was unintentional and I offer my sincere and deep apologies for it,” he said on Wednesday. “It makes me feel terrible and frankly I’m ashamed of it.”

Ms. Liss and other current and former government officials said the governor regularly asked them about their dating sites, touched them, and commented on their physical appearance. According to Ms. Liss and other former staffers, some women reported wearing high heels when the governor was in Albany. Mr. Azzopardi said no one was required to wear high heels.

The Journal spoke to more than 30 officials who work or have worked for Mr. Cuomo during his 10 years as governor. All those officials, including current and former heads of agencies, described a high-pressure environment in which seven-day work weeks were common.

Several people described the work environment as toxic. Many former staffers remembered the governor’s actions endearingly. On Valentine’s Day, Mr Cuomo had roses delivered to the female employees, they said. Two women who received the flowers said they appreciated the gesture.

When asked about the criticisms of working conditions, Mr. Azzopardi: “The people of this state have elected the governor to represent them four times in the last 14 years, and they know he works for them day and night. It’s no secret that these are tough jobs and the work is demanding, but we have a top team with many employees who have been here for years, and many others who have left and returned. “

A former assistant, 25-year-old Charlotte Bennett, recently said that Mr. Cuomo asked about her sex life and if she had relationships with older men.

Another former adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a February 24 Medium post that Mr. Cuomo tried to kiss her on the lips in his office and, on a flight in 2017 on his plane, suggested they play strip poker. A spokeswoman for Mr. Cuomo has said Ms. Boylan’s allegations are false.

The governor is under increasing pressure over the allegations and over the state’s handling of Covid-19 in nursing homes. State Attorney General Letitia James oversees an investigation into the allegations by Ms. Bennett and Boylan. Federal prosecutors are interested in how the governor’s top advisers have pushed to amend a health department report to include a lower number of deaths in those facilities, people familiar with the case said.

Republicans and an increasing number of Democrats have called for Mr Cuomo’s resignation or overthrow, but high Democratic state lawmakers oppose until Ms. James’s review is completed.

Mrs. Liss said she decided to come forward after Mrs. Bennett and Boylan charged Mr. Cuomo of Sexual Harassment. Ms. Liss said the governor’s response to their 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 at a business development company in Rochester. She said she was proud of her role in the executive chamber, but was appalled that the governor never asked her about her job, instead focusing on personal questions or her appearance.

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

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

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

In the Medium post, Ms. Boylan described a similar meeting with the governor at a January 6, 2016 event at Madison Square Garden. She said that after a speech, Mr. Cuomo stopped to talk to her, and her boss soon told her that the governor was in love with her.

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

Ms. Liss said she had never made a formal complaint about the Governor’s or anyone else’s conduct. She said she eventually asked for a transfer to another office.

Ms. Liss said her experience with the governor prompted her to begin mental health counseling in 2014. She said she drank heavily that year, and in 2015 she left the executive room to take a position at Cornell University as a corporate relationship manager. . Mrs. Liss now serves as Director of the Planning and Development Department for Monroe County, New York State.

The Journal interviewed two other Empire State Fellows who said they saw Ms. Liss drinking heavily and skipping social hooks while working for the governor.

Peter Walke, a man who now serves as Vermont’s commissioner for environmental conservation, said in a recent interview that he found Ms. Liss becoming more withdrawn over time.

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

Mrs. Liss said she was proud of the work she did while in Albany, and she still keeps that photo of her and Mr. Cuomo at the front desk in her office. She supports the policies he has issued.

“I just wish – I wish he would 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]