Mayer foes find support

ALBANY — Two women who say state Senate candidate Shelley Mayer didn’t do enough to respond to their harassment complaints when she was the chamber Democrats’ chief counsel got support Friday from a former staffer who says she was forcibly kissed by a top senator.

“Policies that are vague on process, responsibility, and consequences will only perpetuate the culture of systemic harassment,” Erica Vladimer tweeted. “No one should feel like their only recourse is to stay silent.”

Vladimer earlier this year accused state Sen. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx) of forcibly kissing her outside an Albany bar in 2015. Klein has denied the allegation, which is being investigated by the state ethics commission.

Vladimer made her latest statement while retweeting a Daily News story detailing how Julia Lilkendey and Shana Wittenwyler got no relief after reporting how they were being harassed by their bosses to Mayer and other Senate officials.

Mayer, a Yonkers Democrat, is now an assemblywoman running for Senate in a critical April 24 special election in Westchester County.

Citing the News story, Mayer’s GOP opponent, Julie Killian, called for her to resign her seat, something those close to the lawmaker say isn’t happening.

State GOP Chairman Ed Cox likened Mayer to Rep. Elizabeth Etsy, a Connecticut Democrat who recently announced she would not seek reelection after admitting mishandling a sexual harassment complaint against her now former chief of staff.

“It’s unconscionable that these women were not only forced to endure the abuse, but when they went to another woman in power whom they thought they could trust, they were met with stunningly inappropriate responses and no action,” Cox said of Mayer.

He also called on Gov. Cuomo to rescind his endorsement of Mayer.

A Cuomo source didn’t comment specifically on Mayer, but called it “literally laughable” that the GOP chair is hitting the governor on the issue weeks after the state “passed the strongest package on sexual harassment in the nation.”

Senate Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins stood behind Mayer.

“Unfortunately this is the double standard that women in the workplace face — you can stand up for victims of sexual harassment, as Shelley did, only to be shot down by men in higher-ranking positions, then you still get blamed for not doing enough,” Stewart-Cousins said.

Many other Democrats who have spoken out against sexual harassment remained silent while Mayer’s campaign continued to insist she followed proper Senate protocol by referring the matters to human resources or then-Secretary of the Senate Angelo Aponte, “who wrongly refused to take meaningful action.

Mayer, who Friday held a press conference with women’s groups to bash Killian on the issue of abortion, won support from Elizabeth Galani Zimmerman and Jon Wegienek, co-Presidents of the Westchester County chapter of the National Organization for Women.

“She is who we need to help end the culture of sexual harassment in Albany and our society,” they said.