An outside law firm extensively questioned Gov. Kathy Hochul’s staff last year about a top aide’s workplace conduct — months before he was placed on leave over a separate sexual harassment allegation.
Attorneys contracted by Hochul’s office spent hours questioning members of the governor’s communications staff about press secretary Avi Small, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation who were unauthorized to speak publicly.
The lawyers from the firm of Calcagni Kanefsky LLP, who are on retainer to investigate issues with the governor’s office, focused in large part on Small’s management style, the staffers’ interactions with him and how he treated his colleagues, the people with knowledge of the probe said. The questions centered on workplace conduct, not sexual harassment, the people said.
The allegations that initiated the investigation, or how it was resolved, were unclear.
“While we cannot comment on specifics of any individual personnel matter, any complaints made to the Executive Chamber have been reviewed according to our stated policies and appropriate actions were taken as a result of any review,” Hochul Communications Director Anthony Hogrebe said in a statement.
Hochul’s office placed Small on leave last week amid a new, separate investigation into an allegation he inappropriately touched a staffer, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Politico reported the alleged incident occurred at a downtown Albany bar following a June 16 staff retreat.
Small joined Hochul’s office as first deputy press secretary shortly after she became governor in 2021. He was frequently by the governor’s side after he was elevated to press secretary in 2023, serving as her top spokesperson and traveling with her throughout the state and beyond.
A spokesperson for Small declined to comment Thursday.
Hochul took office in 2021, promising to restore order to the Executive Chamber, which had been rocked by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation amid a sexual-harassment scandal and questions about a toxic workplace culture.
Shortly after taking office, Hochul revamped the chamber’s anti-harassment training program, requiring employees to participate in person. She also established a human resources department and contracted with Calcagni Kanefsky to investigate workplace discrimination or harassment claims.
In 2023, Adam Sullivan, a longtime Hochul political adviser, stepped down from Hochul’s campaign and the state Democratic Party after the Times highlighted a series of harassment complaints against him.
In a prior statement, Hogrebe said 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.”
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