Sam Hoyt, former Buffalo area Assemblyman and Regional head of Economic Development under New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, resigned his post one day before it became public that he’d paid a woman $50,000 in exchange for her ending accusations of sexual harassment against him.
Hoyt admits in a statement that he made “mistakes” but says the woman’s charges are untrue.
Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who is also from Buffalo and who is leading efforts against sexual harassment in the workplace, at first commended Hoyt for his service in government. In an interview with public radio and TV, the lieutenant governor says when she found out the real reason why he left, she wasn’t pleased.
“I felt I did not have all the facts at the time,” Hochul said. “And I’m not happy about that."
Hochul says the incident is under investigation by the state’s ethics commission, and she intends to look into the complaints that the review is not moving fast enough.
