Gov. Cuomo must answer questions surrounding sexual harassment allegations of top official
Questions swirl around sexual allegations of former head of abuse hotline
According to the New York Post story, Patricia Gunning, the number two person within Governor Cuomo’s wrongfully titled Justice Center was directly retaliated against because of blowing the whistle on Jay Kiyonaga. As directly taken and quoted from this NY Post piece;
“A top inspector general in Gov. Cuomo’s administration is blowing the whistle on a boss who headed her agency, claiming he engaged in harassment and other misconduct.
Patricia Gunning, who recently resigned as the special prosecutor/inspector general of the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, said she decided to go public after Cuomo Chief of Staff Melissa DeRosa last week recounted her personal bouts of being subjected to sexism.
“As a longtime sex-crimes and special-victims’ prosecutor, and as an employee who paid a high price for whistleblowing about an executive at a New York State agency for inappropriate behavior with a female subordinate, along with workplace violence directed at me for personally calling him out, my hope is that this conversation will be the beginning of a new era in [how] these issues are addressed by employers,” Gunning, who was the No. 2 official at the
Justice Center, said in an e-mail to The Post.”
According to the CBS story, “A top official in Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration says she resigned because due to harassment carried out by her superior, the New York Post reports.” Later in this same piece the Secretary to the Governor, Melissa DeRosa was quoted surrounding sexual harassment that she endured;
"So let's start with the truth. Sexism and misogyny is alive and well," DeRosa said in a speech in Brooklyn last week.” Also, taken directly from the Secretary DeRosa speech transcript; “And let’s be clear: despite recent revelations about Harvey Weinstein, it isn’t new. Sexism and misogyny exist in obvious and latent forms.”
Later in the same speech Secretary DeRosa get’s more vivid and candid remembering hearing a man who she says is now a national leader in progressive politics saying over the phone on a conference call which Secretary DeRosa heard “She can take the lead right up to my hotel room.”
Sexual harassment is a huge problem and there should be zero tolerance for any of this type of behavior in the workplace, but I believe everyone would agree that sexual abuse and rape or being involved in covering up sexual abuse and rapes are far worse.
This leads to numerous questions surrounding Jay Kiyonaga that Governor Cuomo himself must answer;
• Governor Cuomo, why were these sexual harassment and workplace violence accusations against Jay Kiyonaga kept quiet from the public to only surface now two months after the fact?
• Governor Cuomo, why was Jay Kiyonaga subsequently promoted to a top administration position within the Office of People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), which is rampant with sexual abuse and highly staffed by women?
• Governor Cuomo, why was Jay Kiyonaga not fired long ago when allegations of his involvement in covering up sexual assaults and rapes of staggering numbers of people with developmental disabilities were brought to your direct attention?
• Governor Cuomo, why is it that you claim that you are a champion for women’s rights and you have allowed the retaliation against Miss Gunning after she overcame her fears to report Mr. Kiyonaga?
• Governor Cuomo, why are you not taking decisive actions to address sexual harassment in New York State?
• Governor Cuomo, why are you not moving to take significant actions by law to prevent and stop the wide-scale sexual abuse and rapes of people with disabilities and mental illness within your own agencies?
• Governor Cuomo, why are you not putting measures in place to protect and assist whistle-blowers reporting sexual abuse or any type of abuse, neglect or fraud?
• Governor Cuomo, why are you ignoring the clear dangers surrounding sexual harassment, sexual abuse and the cover-ups that endanger women and obviously any vulnerable person?
• Governor Cuomo, why are you silent on this sexual harassment matter that came to light this week when the topic of sexual harassment is in the national spotlight?
• Governor Cuomo, are not other women or vulnerable people in harm’s way and danger if sexual predators of any kind are protected and shielded from firing and prosecution?
• Governor Cuomo, how can you promote Jay Kiyonaga after most reported sexual assaults and rapes of the disabled within the agency he headed internally were covered-up and purposefully kept from local police and County Elected District Attorney’s?
• Governor Cuomo, why have you not fired Jay Kiyonaga from State employment after a whirlwind of allegations of sexual assault cover-ups, as well as allegations of sexual harassment and workplace violence?
• Governor Cuomo, why the extreme silence?
Governor Cuomo, you are the Governor of New York State and these are severe problems within your agencies that directly endanger the safety and health of countless women and vulnerable people with disabilities. Governor, you must take immediate and decisive actions to stop all sexual harassment, sexual abuse of the disabled in your agencies and the keeping of these crimes from local independent authorities.
No longer can 911 and local police be bypassed. 911 call systems must be immediately called by all victims, witnesses and mandated reporters regarding all sexual abuse. If you agree please go to the Jonathan Carey Foundation website and sign the 911 Petition and please consider helping us with a donation http://jonathancareyfoundation.org/donate/ .
Michael Carey
The Jonathan Carey Foundation
(518) 852-9377
email us here
1 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nbc-news-analyst-mark-halperin-accused-sexual-harassment-n814491
2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/10/26/nbc-political-analyst-mark-halperin-apologizes-after-five-women-accuse-him-of-sexual-harassment-cnn-reports/?utm_term=.1687ccce0233