The press secretary to Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York resigned on Friday, days after the governor’s office confirmed to The New York Times that it was investigating an allegation that he inappropriately touched another male aide.
The press secretary, Avi Small, was placed on leave last week while lawyers from a private firm contracted by Ms. Hochul’s office looked into an incident that took place at a bar in Albany, N.Y., after an all-staff retreat on June 16. Their investigation concluded this week, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The circumstances surrounding Mr. Small’s departure were particularly sensitive to Ms. Hochul, who became governor in 2021 after her predecessor, Andrew M. Cuomo, resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment and fostering a toxic workplace environment. Ms. Hochul, who will be on the ballot again next year, had promised to run an office free of the kind of behavior Mr. Cuomo was accused of. (He continues to deny the allegations.)
Mr. Small, 32, joined Ms. Hochul’s office months after she became governor and soon emerged as one of her most trusted aides, often by her side at the State Capitol and at events across New York.
“For nearly four years, I’ve spent every day working to serve this administration and the people of New York,” Mr. Small wrote in his resignation letter, which was addressed to Anthony Hogrebe, Ms. Hochul’s communications director, and Karen Persichilli Keogh, the secretary to the governor. “I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Mr. Hogrebe confirmed Mr. Small’s departure.
When Ms. Hochul took over as governor, she set up a human resources department in her office that had not previously existed, and required staff members to undergo training on harassment and discrimination policies. She also instituted more stringent processes for responding to sexual misconduct allegations by state employees. An outside law firm, Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, was put on retainer to “investigate any claims of unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation” in the governor’s office, according to an announcement in 2021.
Once those lawyers investigated any allegations, the release said, they would report their findings to the governor’s counsel and “recommend appropriate discipline and corrective action.”
After she won election to a full term in 2022, Ms. Hochul cut ties with a top campaign aide, Adam Sullivan, after The Times chronicled a toxic work environment under him; The Times later reported that he had been fired by a Democratic group years earlier amid sexual harassment complaints from colleagues.
Mr. Small was promoted to press secretary for Ms. Hochul in 2023, managing a small team in New York City and Albany. One former press aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said he had filed a complaint with the state’s Office of Employee Relations against Mr. Small.
He said Mr. Small had regularly made him feel uncomfortable, blurring the lines between the professional and personal.
In one instance last year, the former aide said in an interview, he and Mr. Small were at a bar in Albany with several other colleagues after work when the aide received a call from his mother.
Upon learning that the aide, who is in his 20s, lived with his parents, Mr. Small asked where he and his boyfriend had sex, the aide recalled. He added that Mr. Small had been rude to subordinates and yelled at them. After accepting another job, the aide met with human resources and filed the complaint, which was reviewed by The Times.
After Mr. Small’s suspension became public, Politico and Gothamist reported that the law firm had investigated earlier complaints into his management style and workplace conduct.
When asked about the former aide’s allegations and other complaints against Mr. Small, Mr. Hogrebe, the governor’s spokesman, said in a statement that “while we cannot comment on specifics of any individual personnel matter, any complaints made to the executive chamber have been reviewed according to our stated policies and appropriate actions were taken as a result of any review.”
Dana Rubinstein contributed reporting.
Benjamin Oreskes is a reporter covering New York State politics and government for The Times.
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