By Colin Campbell 8/24/12 3:47pm

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Calls for Lopez to Step Down Mount; Vito Vows to Hold On [Update]

Congressman Jerry Nadler and others are joining District Leader Lincoln Restler in demanding Assemblyman Vito Lopez end his tenure as the Chair of the Kings County Democratic Party following the explosive sexual harassment allegations that included forcing himself on at least one staff member as she struggled to push him off.

“I applaud the work of both the bi-partisan Assembly Ethics Committee and Speaker Silver for the swift and judicious action in removing Assemblyman Vito Lopez from the Chairmanship of the Assembly Housing Committee and in taking other punitive steps as a result of the findings that Assemblyman Lopez was guilty of multiple acts of sexual harassment and abuse,” Mr. Nadler said in a statement this afternoon. “In light of the reprehensible conduct revealed by the Ethics Committee, I call upon Assembly Lopez to do the only honorable thing by immediately resigning his positions as a Member of the Assembly and as the County Chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party.” Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/24/12 2:01pm

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Lincoln Restler (Photo: Facebook)

Lincoln Restler Calls on Vito to Step Down

District Leader Lincoln Restler, one of the most aggressive critics of Assemblyman Vito Lopez and his control of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, has jumped at the news of the sexual harassment allegations leveled against Mr. Lopez and has called on him to step down from the county organization.

“Given the severity of these allegations, which the New York Assembly has called ‘credible,’ Vito Lopez should immediately resign as Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman,” Mr. Restler said in a statement. “I hope all responsible elected officials in Brooklyn will join me in calling for this action. It is clear we need a full and comprehensive investigation into whether this was a regular pattern of behavior in Vito Lopez’s office.“ Read More

By Colin Campbell 8/24/12 1:22pm

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Vito Lopez Loses Housing Committee Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

Speaker Shelly Silver’s office just announced news certain to make significant waves among Brooklyn politicos.

Among the many allegations is that Assemblyman Vito Lopez, the powerful head of the Kings County Democratic Party, required some of his staff to write “about how much they loved their jobs and cared about [him],” and that he “criticized their notes for being insufficiently effusive.”

Mr. Silver also wrote a letter to Mr. Lopez outlining the allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct. You can read those, as well as Mr. Silver’s press release announcing the news below: Read More