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“How can we allow Andrew Cuomo—with his long history of violating and degrading women, refusing accountability, and using taxpayer dollars to attack his victims in court—run City Hall?”
I know how difficult it is to speak out about discrimination and harassment as a government employee. Back in 2020 when I filed a lawsuit against the City Council alleging retaliation and failure to accommodate my need for fertility treatment, I was subjected to retaliation within my community for taking legal action.
Because of that history, I refuse to stay silent while a disgraced former governor tries to weasel his way into the mayor’s office—all while trying to silence the women he’s tormented. Things were bad in City Hall when I worked there—particularly for Black women like me—and they would be unspeakably worse under a Cuomo administration.
Hundreds of pages of evidence from Attorney General Letitia James’ investigation show then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo “groped, kissed or made suggestive comments” to at least 11 female staffers, and a separate Department of Justice investigation revealed that he “repeatedly subjected” others to harassment and retaliation, breaking several state and federal laws.
How can we allow Andrew Cuomo—with his long history of violating and degrading women, refusing accountability, and using taxpayer dollars to attack his victims in court—run City Hall?
Like Cuomo’s former employees, I know what it feels like to work in a “climate of fear,” as Attorney General James described, as a female staffer. It’s no wonder so many Black women don’t report workplace harassment. Despite chronic underreporting, Black women still file sexual harassment claims at almost 3 times the rate of white women. We bear the brunt of this sexual violence, retaliation, or discrimination, and the data only show the tip of the iceberg.
Even when we take legal action afterward, we rarely get justice. Abusers often use legal threats to silence us, sending a message to future victims that they better stay quiet too. Since he was pushed out of office, Cuomo has subpoenaed former female employees for invasive personal documents—including gynecological records—and threatened them with defamation lawsuits. He has used $60 million of New York State tax dollars to do so, and is currently suing the state to cover even more of his legal bills.
Thankfully, there’s a bill in Albany, the “Speak Your Truth Act,” that would protect survivors from these tactics. The bill would make it harder for perpetrators like Cuomo to weaponize defamation lawsuits against survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination. It entitles victims to reasonable attorneys fees and other damages, easing their enormous financial burden. If elected officials in Albany really care about survivors like they said they did when they forced Cuomo to resign, they should pass this bill this year.
After all of the harm he has caused, candidate Cuomo—known abuser—has the audacity to ask for our votes. I’m disheartened that Black leaders are endorsing a man who has shown time and again that he only “supports” us for his own political gain. He publicly smeared New York’s first Black woman attorney general for her investigation into his pattern of abuse as inaccurate, misleading, and politically motivated, and then sued her for doing the job he designated her to do—an excellent job at that.
And he has never taken accountability. When asked recently on the campaign trail about his proven sexual harassment, Cuomo responded, “I said at that time it was wrong, I said at that time it was political, it has been discredited and nothing has come from any of it.” He continues to deny everything. Cuomo has not changed, and will not if elected to office again.
The brave Cuomo staffers who spoke their truth—and many more who were dragged into two separate investigations—are smart, dedicated people committed to making New York a better place. They are exactly the kind of people we want working for the city. I was just like them, and felt unheard and fearful. My experience fuels my commitment to advocating for justice, dignity, and accountability for all women through my company, March For Equity.
I would never choose to work for Cuomo. Who would? If he becomes mayor, he and his cronies will drain New York of the diverse perspectives and talent we desperately need. Men in powerful positions like Cuomo have no business in public office. It is a privilege to work for the people of New York, not an entitlement.
By supporting Cuomo, we’re not only rewarding his abusive behavior, we’re sending a message to all of the women he’s harmed, as well as women and girls across New York and future generations, that their voices don’t matter.
Shana Melius is a former New York City Council staffer and the co-founder & CEO of March for Equity.
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