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Rep. Weiner Resigns in Brooklyn

By Dave Lucas

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-973773.mp3

Albany, NY – Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned today in the wake of his sexting scandal. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas has local reaction.

Weiner addressed reporters Thursday afternoon at a senior citizens center in Brooklyn, apologizing to his neighbors, constitutents and his pregnant wife, Huma.

The seven-term Democrat's decision ends a weeks-long drama that began when text and pictures Weiner sent over the social network "twitter" became public. The Congressman initially said his twitter and facebook accounts had been hacked, but later admitted having texted several women.

The Washington Post labels Weiner "twitter's first major political casualty" - Capital Region Social Media Expert Darcy Knapp says many people don't realize that when they are communicating over social networks, it's "one to many," not "one-to-one".

Barbara Bartoletti, Legislative Director for the New York State League of Women Voters, calls the Weiner episode "terribly unfortunate" - she stops short of labeling Weiner a victim of technology.

Weiner had reportedly been testing the waters for a possible run in the 2013 New York City mayoral election. Now, Governor Andrew Cuomo will be charged with calling a special election to fill Weiner's seat.