You are reading

Van Bramer Calls on Fellow Borough President Candidates to Demand Gov. Cuomo’s Resignation

Council Member and Queens Borough President candidate Jimmy Van Bramer (Emil Cohen/ NYC Council)

March 10, 2021 By Allie Griffin

Queens Borough President candidate Jimmy Van Bramer is calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign amid sexual harassment allegations — and now wants his opponents in the BP race to do the same.

Van Bramer is asking his fellow borough president candidates to join the growing number of lawmakers demanding Cuomo to resign.

The council member first called on Cuomo to step down on Feb. 27 following the accounts of two former female staffers who accused the governor of inappropriate comments and behavior.

Four more women have since come forward with their own accounts and New York Attorney General Letitia James was granted the authority to conduct an independent investigation into the accusations on March 1.

“After reading Lindsey Boylan and Charlotte Bennett‘s accounts of disgusting and demoralizing workplace abuse I called on Governor Cuomo to resign on February 27th, and since re-upped my call several times, circulating a petition to build public support,” Van Bramer said in a statement Monday.

“I want to be absolutely clear: I believe all the other women who have since come forward as well.”

Now he wants his fellow borough president candidates, including current Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and former Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, to join him in that call.

“This is absolutely unacceptable and I’m calling now on my opponents in this race to join me in calling on the Governor to resign,” Van Bramer said Monday. “The #MeToo movement has exposed systemic workplace sexual harassment and assault, but it’s up to leaders to take bold action.”

Richards said the allegations against Cuomo must be investigated, but didn’t call for his resignation.

“The claims made against Gov. Cuomo must be investigated thoroughly, and I am confident our Attorney General Tish James will conduct an extensive review led by former U.S. Attorney Joon Kim and highly-respected employment attorney Anne Clark,” Richards told the Queens Post.

Crowley, who founded an organization to help elect more women to public office, called the allegations against Cuomo “alarming.”

She thanked the women for having the courage to speak up. However, she stopped short of calling for his resignation.

“Sexual harassment in the workplace is unacceptable in all cases, and particularly in our highest levels of government,” Crowley said in a statement. ” I am glad Attorney General James will be leading an investigation into the Governor’s conduct, and her investigation must be allowed to happen free of political influence.”

President of the Central Queens Republic Club Danniel Maio, tenant organizer Stan Morse and immigrant advocate Diana Sanchez are also running for the borough president seat, according to the NYC Campaign Finance Board.

“Asking the Governor to resign due to mounting sexual harassment allegations by itself is an opportunistic excuse by the Democrats,” Maio, a Republican candidate, said. “The nursing home death data coverup is more serious.”

The other candidates in the race didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

A June primary and November general election will determine who will serve as borough president for a full four-year term. Current Borough President Richards only has the position until the end of the year because he won the race in a special election to replace the outgoing BP Melinda Katz.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

One Comment

Click for Comments 
McKeon Kathleen

Contact Donovan Richards and Elizabeth Crowley voice your opinion on Mr Van Bramer’s attempt to remove a duly elected Governor.

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

MTA opens three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza subway station in Long Island City

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced the opening of three new modernized elevators at the Queens Plaza E/M/R subway station in Long Island City earlier this month as part of a larger accessibility and safety upgrades throughout the transit system.

The work included a full replacement of the cab and equipment within the cab, shaft and pit, along with two new elevator head houses located at street level. Crews also made modifications to the shaft and pit as needed to allow for new equipment. The elevator machine room and electrical and mechanical equipment received replacements and other modernization efforts for reliability.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.

Can Queens’ food scene thrive with both trucks and restaurants?

Aug. 19, 2025 By Jessica Militello

In Jackson Heights at 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, Roosevelt Avenue is buzzing with energy as commuters file in and out of subway cars and onto the street and cars and trucks grapple to get down the busy road. The street is filled with rows of shops and restaurants, along with food carts, street vendors and food trucks along the avenue. The almost-but-not-quite the weekend lag leaves hungry commuters faced with another choice to make throughout their day and the array of food truck options in busy areas like Jackson Heights offers customers convenience and delicious food without breaking the bank, two features that can feel vital, particularly with rising costs of living and pressure from inflation.