City Officials Steer Clear of Vito Talk At State of the City

Lawmakers were offended by the latest allegation against Assemblyman Vito Lopez, but few wanted to talk about it yesterday at the State of the City.

Assemblyman Vito Lopez

“I think this is probably something every legislator is going to look at, and they should,” said Assemblyman David Weprin.

City Comptroller John Liu added, “It’s making its way through the legislative process, I’m sure they know how to handle it.”

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics’ report on Lopez’s alleged harassment of several staffers and the Assembly’s settlement with two women has not been released publicly, but leaks in the press this week involve Lopez leering at a 14-year-old intern and asking female staffers to rub his hands. Council members were unenthusiastic about the prospect of sitting next to Lopez if he runs for a City Council seat.

“Vito is crazy, but what does he gain if he stays in the Assembly?” said one councilman. “If he wins, he has a higher salary and his pension would go up.”