Passed buck to Senate big seen as pal of ‘stalker’
One person Lilkendey was speaking with while going through her ordeal was Wittenwyler, who was hired in December 2009 by the Senate Democrats as a photographer — and had her own problems with her boss, ElWise Noisette.
Wittenwyler told The News that Noisette verbally abused her.
She said Noisette, who is black, referred to her as “white devil c--t” and “whore.” “He told me I was taking jobs from black men, that I had no business doing this job," Wittenwyler said.
She said after one testy meeting in April 2010, Noisette tried to hit her with a backhanded slap while angrily putting on his coat. He missed and left the room.
Noisette denied to The News any such incident happened.
“She went and fabricated some crazy story,” said Noisette, now a photo editor for the state teachers union. “That never ever, ever, ever happened. I mean no way. I don’t put my hands on women. I don’t get into altercations and stuff like that.”
Wittenwyler outlined the incident at the time in a report to Senate human resources.
A now former Senate staffer who asked not to be identified told The News he witnessed the near attack and went to Aponte with a formal complaint and multiple followups, but nothing happened. He said he also discussed the situation with Mayer, who he felt “was the only one taking the complaint seriously.” But Wittenwyler disagrees. After getting no satisfaction for months with human resources, Wittenwyler said she sought out Mayer herself, and met with her in November 2010.
“I told her I’m frightened,” she said.
Mayer called HR, and days after their first meeting, Wittenwyler said Mayer called her “and told me not to fixate on what happened six months ago. She told me to hold my fire and keep records of everything personally.”
The Senate staffer said she followed up several times with Mayer. “Nothing happened,” she said.
At one point, she said she told Mayer, “This is why people don’t come forward.”