ALBANY – Sullivan County Sheriff Mike Schiff has joined with sheriffs across New York in calling for the resignation of Governor Andrew Cuomo. The New York Sheriffs Association issued a statement late last week calling for Cuomo to step down amid sexual harassment complaints.
” The shocking and credible allegations of serious, and possibly criminal, misconduct by Governor Andrew Cuomo, as revealed in the recent report from Attorney General James, cause us great concern. One of our most important duties as Sheriffs is to support, and seek justice for, victims of sexual harassment and assault,” the association said.
The association and Cuomo have been at odds over several issues including bail reform in the past few years. Announcing their support for Cuomo’s victims, deemed credible by NYS Attorney General Letitia James, they said “Governor Cuomo hypocritically championed the rights of women to be free of sexual harassment in the workplace, while violating those very rights in the most gross manner. He loudly called for the immediate “canceling” of others accused of similar acts – often less credibly accused – and yet he demands that we “let the process play out” for himself.”
Using the Attorney General’s report as their foundation, the NY Sheriffs Association has joined with many Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden, in calling dor Democrat Cuomo to resign. “We call upon Governor Cuomo to do the right thing and resign now, to spare his victims – and the citizens of this state – a protracted and public re-telling of all his sordid activities. If the Governor does not promptly resign, we call upon the Assembly to do its duty and promptly impeach him,” said the law enforcers.
Sheriffs across the state, including Schiff and Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson, joined with Peter Kehoe, Executive Director of the New York State Sheriffs Association in challenging state lawmakers to act if Cuomo refuses to step down. “To fail to do so will be failing these courageous victims and will discourage other victims of other powerful people from coming forward in the future. We encourage the Assembly to put into concrete action its oft-professed concern for victims of sexual harassment and assault.”
