Aide resigns after foul blast at journalist

A City Council staffer has resigned after allegedly berating a female journalist with misogynistic slurs.

Councilman Chris Marte (D-Manhattan) said Sunday his aide Steven Wong was resigning, after the lawmaker first stuck by his staffer.

Marte initially refused to fire Wong after the staffer left four voice mails with a reporter at Chinese-language Sing Tao Daily, according to a complaint filed with the Council.

Wong allegedly called journalist Lotus Chau a “c—t” and other offensive terms in Cantonese during the February verbal attacks.

Last week, Marte said he wouldn’t fire Wong because he didn’t think the translation of the outrageous voice memos was correct.

“There is usage of Cantonese slang curse words which are unprofessional and inappropriate,” Marte told the Daily News. “We do not find them as grounds for termination.”

He changed his tune Sunday, saying he initially knew of only one voice mail and only recently found out about three others. He said those had not been submitted to the Council’s general counsel. “I do not know what they contain or why they were not included,” he said. “When I immediately contacted Mr. Wong to find out more, he said he regrets his actions and is now offering his resignation which I have accepted.

“I hope this decision can bring healing to those who were hurt by his actions,” he added.

Chau said she didn’t believe Marte hadn’t previously heard the recordings.

“Marte treats this matter as trivial, as he has not apologized and does not feel remorseful,” she said. “His statement shows that he does not value Asian women, as he allowed his staff to bully an Asian female reporter and other Asian women without consequences.”

Wong had been on administrative leave since The News first reported on his outbursts Feb. 23, a Marte spokeswoman said Sunday. She refused to say whether he was paid during that time or not.

A community board member cast doubt on Marte’s claim he hadn’t known about all of the voice mails. “I believe Marte is in damage control mode. It was reported to be multiple voice mails so how can three have been omitted to the general counsel’s office,” Karlin Chan of Manhattan’s Community Board 3 told The News.”

Susan Lee, who’s challenging Marte in primaries this summer, said: “Misogyny and bigotry have no place in civic affairs. Marte and Wong owe an apology to Lotus Chau, and to his constituents, for even thinking he could weather the storm.”