Legislator faces possible censure
Action urged in wake of report about Rodriguez’s conduct toward women
A formal censure of embattled Ulster County Legislator Hector Rodriguez by his fellow lawmakers could come as soon as next month.
Legislator Kathy Nolan said she submitted a censure resolution Tuesday that calls Rodriguez’s behavior as a lawmaker “less than the highest moral standards that we hold ourselves and each other to.”
“It is a statement of our disapproval of his conduct — in this case, specifically his conduct involving the women who have come forward with claims against Legislator Rodriguez,” said Nolan, D-Shandaken.
Nolan’s resolution comes less than two weeks after County Executive Pat Ryan released a summary report of an independent investigation that found Rodriguez, D-New Paltz, used his government position and title to gain access to women and seek improper favors and considerations from them, and that when those overtures were rebuffed, he retaliated by using his power as a county lawmaker.
Suggestions that Rodriguez had behaved inappropriately
with women first surfaced last December and were seen by many as costing Rodriguez his bid to become the Legislature’s chairman.
In February, as more allegations against the veteran legislator surfaced, Rodriguez announced he would not seek re-election. At the same time, he offered an apology for his behavior, stating in a Facebook post that he was sorry for communicating with women in
a way that “made them uncomfortable.”
“I am sorry. I offer no excuse, nor any defense,” he wrote.
In response, Legislator Heidi Haynes, C-Stone Ridge, called for an investigation into the allegations and, at the request of Legislature Chairwoman Tracey Bartels, Rodriguez resigned as chairman of the Legislature’s economic development committee.
Last week, following Ryan’s release of the report summary, Bartels removed Rodriguez from two legislative committees, including
the powerful Laws and Rules Committee, and several county officials have called for Rodriguez’s resignation.
Rodriguez, whose term is up at the end of December, did not attend Tuesday’s meeting. He previously said he will not resign, and there is no mechanism under state law for a county legislator to be ousted.
A censure is a formal, public vote by a body to condemn one of its own.
Bartles said censure is the available method under Robert’s Rules of Order for the Legislature to express
“severe displeasure,” and is considered the strongest form of rebuke that the body — which has no ability to oust a legislator — can take short of calling for resignation.
Bartels also said bringing the censure measure to lawmakers through resolution process, rather than having it considered via a motion from the floor, will ensure the matter is considered in a transparent fashion.
The resolution to censure Rodriguez first will be vetted by the Legislature’s Laws and Rules Committee.
If passed from committee, the resolution will go to the full Legislature for consideration.
The full Legislature is next scheduled to meet on Nov. 19.
At Tuesday’s meeting of the Legislature, three women called on members to take action against Rodriguez. Among those was Melissa Servant, a Wallkill High School teacher who asked legislators how she was supposed to explain lawmakers’ silence to her students.
Nolan said she had hoped the body would vote to censure
Rodriguez during its meeting Tuesday, but Bartels said several lawmakers were uncomfortable voting on such a move without seeing the full report of the investigation.
Legislature Minority Leader Ken Ronk, RWallkill, said he is awaiting a copy of the full report and said it is “premature” to say how he would vote on censuring Rodriguez before he sees it.
“I try very hard to not make decisions without all the facts, and I don’t have all the facts at this point,” Ronk said.