ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul is standing by her administration’s response to allegations of a toxic workplace environment and sexual harassment involving her former press secretary, describing the sequence of events as evidence of “the system working.”
Avi Small, who had been Hochul’s press secretary since 2022, stepped down last week after being suspended amid an inquiry into an allegation that he inappropriately touched a colleague at a bar in Albany after a work-related event last month.
In 2024, Small had been accused in a toxic workplace complaint of locking a staff member in a closet, based on a report by Politico, yet he retained his position following an external investigation.
“I think what you’re misunderstanding is that the culture was changed, the system worked,” Hochul insisted to reporters Friday.
“I would actually expect a different analysis from the press on how we have handled this versus what you witnessed probably over decades here in Albany, so I’m proud of that,” she added.
Hochul took over in 2021 following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation amid a slough of scandals, including allegations of sexual harassment, which he continues to deny.
The newly minted governor, at the time, pledged she would never tolerate a toxic workplace environment under her watch.
Hochul said Friday she was “not going to speak on specifics” of the complaints against Small.
Small had first joined the team as a deputy press secretary in 2021 after Hochul took office. He was particularly close with the governor, per sources, and her public schedules show he regularly traveled with her for events around the Empire State.
