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Gov. Hochul suspends top spokesperson accused of sexual harassment, report says
By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Jon Campbell
Published Jul 2, 2025
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Jon Campbell/Gothamist
By
Jimmy Vielkind
and
Jon Campbell
Published Jul 2, 2025
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s top spokesperson was placed on leave this week as the governor’s staff investigates an allegation of sexual harassment.
The New York Times reported that press secretary Avi Small is being investigated after another state employee accused him of inappropriate touching. The alleged incident occurred at a staff retreat earlier this month in the Executive Chamber, which includes the governor’s top aides.
In a statement, Hochul spokesperson Anthony Hogrebe confirmed an employee was placed on leave “as soon as a complaint was brought to the [Executive] Chamber.” He did not name the employee, calling it an “open investigation.”
“Governor Hochul has zero tolerance for misconduct by any New York State employee, and has instituted the strongest workplace protections and training policies in State history,” Hogrebe said.
Small didn’t respond to requests for comment. He joined Hochul’s team in the fall of 2021 after previously working in the state Senate and on Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, according to LinkedIn.
Hochul became governor after her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, resigned in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal. A report released by Attorney General Letitia James found Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women, including state employees. That report, as well as a subsequent investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the Executive Chamber under Cuomo failed to follow policies and procedures to prevent harassment.
Cuomo previously apologized if his conduct made anyone uncomfortable. As a candidate for mayor, he has denied sexually harassing anybody. The former governor says James’ report was politically motivated. She has defended the investigation.
After assuming office, Hochul created a human resources department within the Executive Chamber and required staff to attend anti-harassment training in person.
“Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace, and certainly not in public service,” Hochul said in 2021.
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Jimmy Vielkind
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy led a team of reporters that won a New York Press Club award for coverage of Andrew Cuomo’s downfall and was on a team that won a Gerald Loeb Award for coverage of Amazon’s HQ2 process. A native of the Capitol Region, Jimmy has two degrees in urban planning. His position is funded by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Reach Jimmy at [email protected].
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Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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