Vito Lopez and his Hour-of-Power

New York Times
by Danny Hakim
August 30, 2012

ALbany -- Assembly Democrats rallied around Speaker Sheldon Silver on Thursday, as he faced an inquiry into his handling of sexual harassment allegations made against a prominent lawmaker and continued attacks from a lawyer who represented some of the women.

In Brooklyn political circles, lawmakers were discussing how to force Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez, the central figure in the sex scandal, to relinquish his seat.

He has already said he will give up his role as the borough’s Democratic Party leader. But even a longtime ally thought likely to succeed Mr. Lopez as chairman of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Frank R. Seddio, said it was time for Mr. Lopez to resign after new descriptions of sexual language and harassment in his office.

In one indication of his precarious position, Mr. Lopez has not been calling around to other Assembly members to gauge his level of support ­ something he would surely do if he were maneuvering to stay, said one member who is close to him.

The Politicker
by Colin Campbell
August 29, 2012

The race to replace Assemblyman Vito Lopez as the head of the Kings County Democratic Party wages on tonight.

Supporters of Frank Seddio are privately very confident they have secured enough votes, but those hoping for a win by Assemblyman Karim Camara are meeting right now to plan their upset and capture the needed majority of the county’s district leader vote.

The plan in question is effectively a double-bank shot.

First, they need unity among the county’s black district leaders in order for their campaign to have credibility going forward. Of Brooklyn’s 53 elected district leaders, at least 15 of them are African-American, so this would be no small number if they act in unison. However, this is also no easy task as these leaders have diverse backgrounds and do not automatically represent a monolithic block. As one source told the Politicker, “There are a lot of egos at play.”

Crains New York
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Wednesday that "all the facts would come out" if a state commission investigates so-called hush money he approved to settle sexual harassment charges against Assemblyman Vito Lopez.
by Andrew J. Hawkins
August 29, 2012

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Wednesday that he would welcome an investigation from the state's Joint Committee on Public Ethics into his office's handling of sexual harassment charges against Assemblyman Vito Lopez.

"I would welcome a JCOPE investigation, as a JCOPE inquiry would supersede any confidentiality agreements that exist and allow all of the facts to come out," Mr. Silver said, in a statement. "Those facts will show that any decision by the Assembly to enter into any settlement agreement was both legal and ethical and made out of deference to the wishes of the complainants."

The speaker's statement came amid a rising chorus of criticism that his office had kept secret a payout of at least $100,000 to settle sexual misconduct allegations against Mr. Lopez, who the Assembly censured on Aug. 24 after the chamber's ethics committee determined Mr. Lopez had harassed two female staffers.

The Politicker
by Colin Campbell
August 29, 2012

With Assemblyman Vito Lopez’s announcement that he will not seek to continue his leadership in the Kings County Democratic Party, the race to replace him has currently shifted its focus to three names: District Leader Frank Seddio, AssemblymanKarim Camara and District Leader Jo Anne Simon. Mr. Seddio, an establishment favorite, is currently the frontrunner, and sources told Politicker that county insiders believe he’s already secured the necessary number of votes.

Ms. Simon’s and Mr. Camara’s paths to challenging Mr. Seddio are not equally steep, however.

Ms. Simon is most aligned with the reform-minded wing of the party, which controls roughly three votes out of the fifty-three total district leaders. On the other hand, Mr. Camara could potentially unite the reform vote with many of the African-American district leaders, eager to have their presence felt. While Mr. Camara, who endorsed the Lopez-backed candidacy of Councilman Erik Dilan when he challenged Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, isn’t the typical anti-Lopez reformer, he has shown some breaks with the establishment and has stature as the chairman of the Legislature’s Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic & Asian Legislative Caucus.

Albany Times Union
Assembly speaker discusses $103,000 private settlement in Lopez sex misconduct case
by James M. Odato
August 29, 2012

Albany -- After several days of steadily increasing criticism, state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver admitted Tuesday that his decision to agree to a $103,000 confidential settlement with at least one woman who had brought allegations of sexual misconduct against Assemblyman Vito Lopez was a bad idea "from the perspective of transparency."

In a statement, Silver said that in future the Assembly should not agree to confidential settlements; should insist that the "basic factual allegations" of any complaint be referred to the Legislative Ethics Committee for investigation; and should "publicly announce the existence of any settlement, while protecting the identity of the victims."

Since the secret settlement was brought to light over the weekend, the allegations of misconduct against Lopez added to a record of similar cases Silver has handled privately during the past decade.

Despite a "zero tolerance" policy promised amid reforms from past episodes of abuse, Silver faced a string of complaints about Lopez. A legislative panel investigated some of them, and Silver eventually issued heavy sanctions against the veteran Brooklyn Democrat.

Greenpoint Star
by Andrew Pavia
August 29, 2012

Assemblyman Vito Lopez will be steeping down as Kings County Democratic Party chairman as a result of sexual harassment allegations made by members of his staff. The 71-year-old assemblyman announced on Tuesday that he will not seek re-election to the post.

In a statement released by Lopez, he defends himself and claims that he is innocent.

“I have never sexually harassed any staff and I hope and intend to prove in the coming months the political nature of these accusations,” read the statement.

Although he claims the groping accusations are untrue, Lopez admits that the allegations themselves are causing him to not seek re-election.

“The onslaught of character attacks has put enormous emotional pressure on my family and close fiends I cannot sit by and allow that to continue,” he said.

New York Times
by Sam Dolnick and Danny Hakim
August 29, 2012

Five women who worked for Vito J. Lopez, the assemblyman at the center of a broadening sexual harassment scandal, described in interviews an atmosphere of sexual pressure and crude language in his office, with frequent unwanted advances by him and others, requests for provocative dress, personal questions about their boyfriends and fears of reprisals if they complained.

By their accounts, Mr. Lopez, 71, a Brooklyn Democrat, told some women not to wear bras to work. He requested they wear short skirts and high heels. He gave them cash to buy jewelry and complimented them on their figures, giving special attention to those he called “well endowed.”

He asked about their personal lives, urging them to break up with boyfriends, and berated those women ­ all of whom were new to politics ­ who did not compliment him effusively enough, according to several of the women interviewed.

One of the women, Stephanie M. Friot, spoke on the record, while the other four spoke on the condition their names not be used. Ms. Friot, 28, said that Mr. Lopez never directly harassed her but that “there was a certain culture where behaviors like that were permissible.”

Journal News/lohud.com
August 29, 2012

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, said in a statement this afternoon that he would “welcome” a state Joint Commission on Public Ethics investigation of a secret settlement his office made to settle an unknown legal claim. The Assembly paid $103,080 in taxpayer funds two months ago for the settlement.

“I would welcome a JCOPE investigation, as a JCOPE inquiry would supersede any confidentiality agreements that exist and allow all of the facts to come out. Those facts will show that any decision by the Assembly to enter into any settlement agreement was both legal and ethical and made out of deference to the wishes of the complainants,” said Silver.

“In addition the Assembly has written to counsel in any previous settlement asking for a release from any confidentiality clauses that may exist so that we can legally and properly release to the public all information relating to any settlement and how it was reached,” he said.

New York Post
Makes shocking confession on Vito deal
by Erik Kriss and Josh Margolin
August 29, 2012

A state ethics committee created by Gov. Cuomo has launched a potentially damning probe into the six-figure Assembly payout to two of Vito Lopez’s alleged sex-harassment victims ­ a deal Speaker Sheldon Silver now admits he green-lighted, sources said yesterday.

With his role in the scandal facing intense scrutiny, Silver made a stunning mea culpa last night.

“I now believe it was the wrong one from the perspective of transparency,” he said in a statement, referring to the decision to keep the settlement under wraps.

“I take full responsibility in not insisting that all cases go to the ethics committee.”

August 29, 2012

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